Harry Potter and bravery and - oh Harry - be careful!
by Red Phoenix Dragon
Summary: Hermione's brilliant logic solves the potion challenge then discovers an even bigger logic problem to solve in the Philosopher's Stone Quest, and she realizes that there was somewhere she really needed to be with someone who needed her so much more. Apologetic forgiven Snape with a manipulative, unforgiven, unhelpful, and bashed Dumbledore and Ronald. HHr NLLL Character deaths.
1. Hermione's brilliant logical mind

Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!

I don't own the Harry Potter verse. Just playing.

Summary: Hermione's brilliant logic solves the potion challenge then discovers an even bigger logic problem to solve in the Philosopher's Stone Quest, and she realizes that there was somewhere she really needed to be with someone who needed her so much more. Apologetic Snape with a manipulative unhelpful Dumbledore and Ronald. HHr NLLL Character deaths.

12/07/14, 11/08/14

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

_Chapter 16 of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone._

…_..."You drink that," said Harry. "No, listen, get back and get Ron. Grab brooms from the flying-key room, they'll get you out of the trapdoor and past Fluffy — go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, we need him. I might be able to hold Snape off for a while, but I'm no match for him, really."_

"_But Harry — what if You-Know-Who's with him?"_

"_Well — I was lucky once, wasn't I?" said Harry, pointing at his scar. "I might get lucky again."_

_Hermione's lip trembled, and she suddenly dashed at Harry and threw her arms around him._

"_Hermione!"_

"_Harry — you're a great wizard, you know."_

"_I'm not as good as you," said Harry, very embarrassed, as she let go of him._

"_Me!" said Hermione. "Books! And cleverness! There are more important things — friendship and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful! "_

"_You drink first," said Harry. "You are sure which is which, aren't you?"_

"_Positive," said Hermione. She took a long drink from the round bottle at the end, and shuddered._

"_It's not poison?" said Harry anxiously._

"_No — but it's like ice."_

"_Quick, go, before it wears off."_

"_Good luck — take care."_

"_GO!"_

_Hermione turned and walked straight through the purple fire... PS_

She turned to leave and her untameable hair flared out just it did when he first saw her on the Hogwarts Express. When she repaired his glasses, opening his eyes, and he could suddenly see clearly for the first time. To see those honey almond eyes and cute smile cast their spell on him and warmed his heart giving him a feeling he did not understand and unknowingly he secretly crushed on her all this year. For what did he know of love, bravery, friendship and books? Hugs. He knew about Hermione's hugs. He sadly watched as his best friend disappeared through the purple fire leaving him all alone. At least she would be safe. That was all that mattered.

Harry was already missing the warmth, comfort and safety of her hug and wished that he would soon feel that again. He took the smallest bottle and drunk it in one go. The chill in his stomach was ice cold and added to the loneliness he felt. He had hoped, as he was facing a certain most painful death that, he would at least get a kiss from the cute little witch. He would willingly sacrifice his life to save most important person in his life from the monster who had slaughtered his family. His feet felt like lead as he walked through the black flames to face his destiny.

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

_...Hermione turned and walked straight through the purple fire... PS_

And into the sudden chill of the dark cold corridor. Hermione's mind was racing faster than she was running through the chambers and corridors. She was also very annoyed with herself that she had choked at that missed opportunity. She had the cute wizard she has been crushing on all year alone, and in her arms. The same cute wizard who was now going to his death to fight a dark evil professor, and all she could say was _"...friendship and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful! " "oh Harry —be careful! " _What happen to _**"and LOVE!"**_ Just like she had practiced in the mirror with her hands over her heart! Then she could have kissed him just as she had practiced with her pillow.

But it was too late now, her Harry was in grave danger again and she must go and find professor Dumbledore. Her Harry better survive as she promised herself, the next time Harry was in her arms, she will kiss him to death.

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

Hermione's logical mind was rapidly reprocessing all the information she had gathered today. They had seen the Headmaster fly off on a broomstick from the window of his office as they were returning from Hagrid's hut with the last piece of the puzzle. Hagrid had been tricked into revealing how to get past Fluffy by someone, whom they believed to be professor Snape. They had gone to warn professor McGonagall but she had told them that the stone was perfectly safe and the Headmaster was on his way to London on a broomstick of all things. The mere fact that they had worked it out proved that the stone was not safe.

It would take the Headmaster hours to reach London by broomstick, and she had to send Hedwig with a letter but Hedwig would take even more hours to reach the Headmaster. Hours that Harry did not have. He may have been lucky once and he may get lucky again but even her Harry could not get that lucky.

Everyone must have seen the Headmaster fly off so Professor Snape knew that Dumbledore is out of the castle and he has taken this opportunity to steal the stone for his master. Now that Hagrid had told him how to get past Fluffy, he only needed to wait until curfew when there would be no students wandering around. The unconscious troll told her that Professor Snape was not playing games and even now he was trying to retrieve the stone from the last obstacle. The one that had been set by the great Albus Dumbledore. She hoped that the obstacle had been one of his more brilliant ideas. Or at least better than his choice of Potions professor come thief or the DADA professor that was afraid of his own shadow or the History Professor who put everyone to sleep.

Harry had told her about this mirror that the Headmaster had shown him, and that worried her that the Headmaster could trust the safety of her Harry to a mirror. Her respect for authority figures had taken a severe beating this year with so many disappointing incidents. The bullying by Malfoy and professor Snape, detention in the forbidden forest and the baby dragon. But the worse was losing professor McGonagall's trust because she lied to her to protect Ronald for bullying her and that was the true reason of how she ended up in that bathroom. Also the professors would not believe that Ronald could use the Levitation Charm, Wingardium Leviosa to lift the troll's club and pronounce it correctly as he utterly failed in class.

'Oh why did the Headmaster have to go to London tonight of all nights!' Hermione thought.

Then it hit her. This was the first time they actually knew when the Headmaster had left the castle and there are a number of ways for the Headmaster to travel by magic that she had found in her favourite book; _Hogwarts, a History_. It said that the Headmaster's Great Phoenix Fawkes could flame travel and transport him anywhere he wanted to go in an instant. Then there was Floo travel through the fireplace would have taken the Headmaster directly to the Ministry of Magic in a moment of time. So why did an elderly old wizard decide to travel by broomstick on such a cold moonless night when he must have known the school would be in danger.

Hermione had reached the chamber of the giant chess set, and stopped running as everything became clear in her mind. It is surprising how a little danger can encourage the mind to think quickly and she had one exceptional brilliant mind. They were only three first year students who had managed to circumvent the six of the seven protections that the Professors had set up to guard a very powerful magical artifact that a dark lord had tried to steal from Gringotts Bank.

But the protections had been set at their level of Magical Knowledge and skill, the chess set was specifically for Ronald, the potion logic challenge was for her, and the flying winged keys was for Harry. They had already dealt with a troll, so the Devil's snare must have been for Neville if he came and Fluffy was for their friendship with Hagrid who could not keep a secret even if his life depended on it. Then there was the Headmaster who had already shown Harry his mirror. So the whole thing had been set up as a trial for them, or more importantly for Harry. So this was some silly idiotic dangerous test that had attracted the attention of a dark lord to Hogwarts and put the whole student body in danger.

Therefore the Headmaster had not flown to London; he just wanted to make Professor Snape and Harry think that he had, so they would go after the stone this very night.

Hermione fumed. That meant that the Headmaster was in the castle, ready to save the day at the last possible moment. He was most likely heading this way with all the other professors, and would be here very soon. The thought that the Headmaster had set up a confrontation between Harry and professor Snape angered her, as the professor had been very nasty to Harry all year. She looked around the chess board to see all the smashed pieces of the broken players but Ronald was not lying where they had left him not ten minutes before.

Then she heard a terrible snore and feared that the troll in the next chamber had woken up, but awful sound was coming from just to her left. Slowly she walked over as another terrible snore rang out. She could see it was a body with red hair curled up on a bed made of pillows. Her anger flared as she stamped her foot. The uninjured Ronald was safe and sound asleep while his best friend was facing certain death. A death that Ronald had so eloquently put, that only Harry could face before he finally and very uncharacteristically sacrificed himself by abandoning his horse, to allow Harry to win that horrible stupid chess match.

Why only Harry? Hermione wondered, Ronald had said not her nor himself, only Harry. Did Ronald know something he was not telling them? And when did Ronald Bilius Weasley become so eloquent?

Another terrible snore vibrated around the chamber. Harry had told her that Ronald's snoring was bad but that was unbelievable. She now understood why Harry and the other boys always looked so fatigue as they never got any good sleep. At least it showed that Ronald was fine but more importantly it showed that Hermione knew that there was another place she really needed to be with a true friend that needed her so much more.

Hermione turned and ran as fast as she could into the next chamber, the disgusting smell of the large troll, still out cold with a bleeding lump on its head, didn't stop her as she leaped over it, as love had given her wings. Nothing was going to get in her way nor stop her from saving her Harry.

Hermione stepped over the threshold of the room for the Potion challenge, and immediately a purple fire sprang up behind her in the doorway with the same black flames shot up in the doorway leading onward. She picked up the parchment to check it was to same riddle with the same answer as she did not trust professor Snape to not do something evil and change the clues and bottles around. But it was the same riddle so she reached for the smallest bottle to drink from but it had not finished refilling. She waited a moment. Then waited a moment more but the bottle was taking way too long to refill. She stamped her foot in anger and frustration.

"Damned stupid professors with their damned stupid protections for this damned stupid Philosopher's Stone Quest." Hermione cursed as threw the tiny bottle into the black flames and it was incinerated with a poof.

"_**DAMN!"**_

She took out her wand and pointed at the black flames as she screamed with everything she had.

"_**FINITE INCANTATEM!"**_

The black flames blew out as she charged forward down the corridor and into the last chamber.

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

Thank you for reading.


	2. Dumbledore and Neville come to rescue

Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!

Chapter 2 Dumbledore and Snape with Neville and Luna come to the rescue.

I don't own the Harry Potter verse. Just playing.

20/07/14, 11/08/14

_-__Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!__-_

Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape walked calmly into the 'Flying Key Challenge Chamber', looking for the flying keys that Professor Flitwick had charmed for his protection challenge, only to find that all the keys had gone into attack mode when Harry touched the broomstick and impaled themselves into the heavy oak door with their damaged wings fluttering uselessly against the wood.

"That looks nasty but I can't see any blood." A disappointed Severus mentioned to the Headmaster.

"Now, now Severus. Don't be so negative." The Headmaster said. "You saw how young Mr. Potter had flown brilliantly to catch the right key and give it to his friends to open the door. No blood means they got through uninjured."

Severus shook his head. "Well it would not matter to me if the redhead moron got a little hurt but it was still a great risk to Potter. I still can't believe that you set up this whole Forbidden Third Floor Painful Death challenge and not one of the cretins wrote home to tell their parents."

The Headmaster smiled at his ability to control and manipulate sheeple. Just like magic, it was all about what they did not see or know.

"Well, what is the point of the subtle science and exact art of potionmaking, Severus, with the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, _**bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses**_…If you don't use them?" The Headmaster smirked. "You can try to teach them how to bottle fame, brew glory, even put a stopper in death — But unless you have a big plan for the Greater Good, it is all a waste."

"So what happens in Hogwarts, stays in Hogwarts?"

"Precisely."

"Well it may be for your Greater Good to put my potions in their food and pumpkin juice to befuddle the school and keep Gryffindor loyal to you and maintain the rivalry and hatred to Slytherin." Snape said. "But we still had to remove the potions before they took their examinations."

"Yes it would not do for their examinations results to show that the students were high on something." Dumbledore said shaking his head. "But we will need to put the potions back before they go home for the summer."

"How do you get away with that?"

"Image, my dear boy, image, I don't wear these beautiful robes just to bring out the colour of my eyes, Severus and everyone loves Merlin. Plus for the Greater Good you have to think big, talk big and always keep the big picture in mind. So they have something to distract them, and always have someone else to blame. They really are just a big a bunch of dunderheads you know."

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

They opened the heavy door and walked into the corridor when they heard the terrible rumbling sound coming from the next chamber.

"I fear Quirrell's Troll has recovered." The Headmaster said.

Snape shook his head. "No, that is the sound of that dunderhead Weasley snoring."

"Surely not?"

"Surely yes indeed! The dunderhead fell asleep during a study session in the hall, one night early in the year, and let out such a loud snore that frightened some witches so much that they accidentally knocked ink all over their assignments. I took 50 points and gave him a week's detention cleaning dirty chamber pots. I have to watch him and Potter very closely during my potion class to make sure they don't all asleep or injure others. The Longbottom boy is so tired from lack of sleep that he is a total lost cause."

"That is good you keep a careful eye on them, as potions can be very dangerous. But is it healthy for a boy to snore that loud?"

"The red head moron does everything loud, just like his mother. Talking, howlers, ingestion, sleeping and snoring."

"But how do the other boys get any sleep?"

"They don't, but it proves your loyalty charms on the dunderhead's bed are working as they just put up with it."

The Headmaster and Professor Snape entered the Wizard Chess Challenge Chamber and see all the devastation of broken and destroyed giant chessmen. They follow the terrible noise to find Ronald uninjured, and snoring like a baby troll on a pile of cushions.

"Oh good. Young Ronald is unharmed." Dumbledore said.

"Lucky for you as you wouldn't want to have to explain to Howler Molly if her little ickle Ronniekins got a scratch would you?"

"No, that would not be good."

"I don't understand why you let the harridan and the bottomless pit demand so much."

"Ah Severus, young Harry needed a light minded family to accept him and guide him away from the dark."

"And preferably one that was under your thumb. There were so many families willing to take Potter in." Severus said as he thought even Lucius and Narcissa would have been better than those disgusting relatives.

"Yes but young Harry only needed the one." Dumbledore said as he thought of the marriage contract for Ginny that Molly demanded.

"Still, it would have been better for the three of them to face Quirrell's troll together than just have the-know-it-all and Potter face it."

"Miss Granger, Severus." Dumbledore corrected. "You know, you really do play your part very well. Anyone would think that you hate Gryffindor."

"I do. It is not an act. Potter and Black had taught me that."

"Oh?" Dumbledore said giving Snape a serious look. "Oh well, actually I had planned for four to face the troll."

"Four?"

"Yes, there was supposed to be four, Mr. Potter, Miss. Granger, Mr. Weasley and Mr. Longbottom." Dumbledore said as he counted on his long fingers.

"Longbottom?"

The Headmaster ignored the Snape's surprise and continued. "The original order of the challenges was to have the troll after the devil's snare and before the flying keys. Once young Mr. Longbottom had got them successfully through the devil's snare, he was to be eliminated by the troll with a little help from young Mr. Weasley to show that this was not a game. Just like the muggles do in their movies and TV shows where the unneeded spare gets killed instead of the main character, and start the example of sacrifice."

"The old battleaxe would not stand for that!"

"No Augusta would be most upset indeed," Dumbledore laughed.

"And she would blame it all on young Mr. Potter. He of course, would heart broken at the lost of Mr. Longbottom and blame himself all summer. Until he could find comfort in the Weasley family." The Headmaster said with a smirk but even Snape was a little concern how casually he discussed the death of a student.

The Headmaster continued. "I know it was a risk to swap the order of protection chambers but Molly was adamant that young Mr. Weasley should not face the troll. She said he had nightmares from what he remembers of Halloween."

"But he was not there. Longbottom went with Potter and Potter somehow managed to blow the troll's brains out."

"True. But that is what mind magic is for." Dumbledore smiled at his brilliant idea to change the membership of the golden trio.

"So you obliviated the four of them and swapped out Longbottom with Weasley?"

"Yes. Molly was most upset when Ronald wrote home about having nightmares about a troll and I had to explained everything."

"Explain? You?" Snape snorted, thinking that the Headmaster would just use his wand again.

Dumbledore ignored Snape's response. "Well she was most pleased that Harry was now Ronald's best friend, and she needed to know in case it came up when Harry was staying with them. So now she monitors what is happening to her precious brood with that damn clock of hers and I didn't want her to interfere with Harry's training."

"Training?" Severus snorted. "At least the dunderhead's natural obnoxiousness kept the Longbottom boy away."

Dumbledore ignored Snape's snort. "Yes that was fortunate for the boy and I had to stop the house-elves feeding the troll for the last fortnight so it would be weak enough for Quirinus knock it out with a stunner. So hopefully it will be unconscious until morning."

Severus snorted again. He was not comfortable with the way the Headmaster had put Lily's son in danger this year and he had had to step in to protect the boy on more than one occasion. When he finds out who set his robes on fire there will be hell to pay.

"Well at least young Ronald was successful in his task of setting an example of selflessly sacrificing himself to let Harry win the match." Dumbledore beamed.

"Amazingly as he is not a team player, and it was far from his usual game of playing the King and going all _Attila the Hun_, sacrificing and slaughtering everyone not him until it is just the king left standing before going in for the kill." Snape sneered. "But he took far too long to set up his self-sacrificial move, while _Potter and __Miss Granger_ could have of won the game a couple of times if they were paying attention."

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

_Snape said the words Miss Granger as if he really wanted to spit out the word Mudblood to show he was still playing his part in the Slytherin Gryffindor rivalry for the old fools' benefit. Even though Hermione had reminded him so much of Lily with her thirst for knowledge and the excitement that was in her eyes when she brewed the perfect potion. He wished he could warn her to flee to safety but he could see her bond to Potter which meant that she will be caught up in the old fools plans and schemes. He hoped that she would not suffer like Lily had, but knowing the Headmaster, he has already planned to marry her off to some Pure-blood idiot so she will never reach her full potential, her brains and passion squandered on a society that hates her. Probably that redhead moron. What a waste. _

_Becoming the Potion Professor of Hogwarts had exposed him to some of the Headmaster's secrets. It really filled him with bitterness to discovered that the old fool was behind the potion doping that created the infamous hatred between Slytherin and Gryffindor that he used to divide and manipulate the school for His Greater Good. Speaking hollow platitudes of forgiveness and by forgiving the guilty who show no remorse while allowing them to continue their hatred unpunished, stoking the fires of antagonism. Encouraging the angry bigoted Pure-bloods towards Voldemort and the half bloods and muggleborn lovers to be his minions to die as cannon fodder in the eternal fight for the light against the dark. It was Dumbledore who had divided Lily from him with his Machiavellian manipulations and gave that idiot Potter the chance to snatch her away. _

_Oh how he wished that Lily and him had been sorted into Ravenclaw and missed all of the Slytherin Gryffindor rivalry and the old goat's Greater Good. They would have had a big future in brewing specialist potions and his sons would have his black greasy unkempt messy hair and her green caring eyes while Lily's daughters would be the most beautiful witches in all the land with her fiery red hair and attitude. But now thanks to the old goat, his future was dead and he was only waiting for his turn to be sacrificed for the Greater Good of the old goat. _

_After all, the Headmaster had used him to tell the first part of the prophecy to the dark lord and then claimed loudly that Severus had spied for the light, saving him from Azkaban but trapped him in Hogwarts with all those dunderheads and painted a giant target on his back for all his Death Eaters buddies to aim at. If Potter ever found out what he had done, it might just shatter Lily's son. There was nothing he could do to make up for setting up the boy's parents. Not after all the abuse he had dumped on the boy this year. _

_Severus had imagined that his death will be painful and messy as he deserves for betraying Lily. He just knows the old goat has planned something special for him. Even to ask him to do some personal favour for the old goat that would encourage the dark lord to execute him himself personally with extreme prejudice. Probably using that damn pet snake for his. The drama queens always went for the most excruciating painful exterminations rather than a quick merciful death._

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

Dumbledore continued. "Yes, I saw that too. Fortunately Ronald's natural obnoxiousness, building frustration and anger had distracted young Harry and Miss Granger so much that it stopped them from winning _his game for him_. Under the circumstances, I think Mr. Weasley played his part exceptionally well."

"It must have taken a lot of persuading to convince the dunderhead to be the knight, so he could jump clear and sacrifice the horse when the queen attacked after he had made that eloquent speech to Potter on self-sacrifice." Snape sneered.

"Yes it did. He always plays to annihilate and he so hates it when he doesn't make the winning move. The words self-sacrifice, going without, pain and suffering are neither in his vocabulary nor in his nature. The knight is the only chess piece that has two parts and all he had to do was to time it right to when he abandoned the horse as the queen attacked and then play dead."

"But I don't suppose the ₲100 galleon bonus was much of an encouragement? At least he didn't sacrifice _Miss Granger_. Potter would need her to get passed my Potion Challenge."

"Yes, Ronald had worked that out and so he bargained me up from ₲100 galleons to ₲1,000, to not harm Miss Granger. He was well aware how much she was needed to get Harry pass your Potion Challenge. Sad that he is getting as greedy as Molly."

"Is he aware that the money is going into his mother's Molly Prewett's vault and he will not see a Knut until he is of age?"

"He may have forgotten that little bit of information in his excitement of thinking how he was going to spend the money and that he now has to pay income tax. But I would have happily paid Ronald ₲10,000 galleons if Harry follows his brave self-sacrificial example."

"You are very generous with the Potter fortune, but all your talk of self-sacrifice worries me. I signed on to protect Lily's son so what is your endgame? I would hate to think that we had raised Potter as a pig for slaughter?"

"All in good time Severus, all in good time." The Headmaster said and thought to himself. _'Besides, __i__t would be cruel to __starve and abuse __pigs __before they were slaughtered__.__'_

Dumbledore waved his wand over the snoring boy to silence the annoying sound as the house-elves have complained and refuse to clean the Gryffindor first year boy's dorm if the red head was sleeping.

"Snookums?"

A young male house-elf appeared with a pop wearing a spotless white toga with the Dumbledore family crest over his heart and bowed lowly to the Headmaster.

"The Great-Blue-Eyes has called Snookums? How can Snookums help the Great-blue-eyes?"

"Yes Snookums. Could you return Mr. Weasley to his bed, tuck him in with his pet Rat and remove the silencing charm."

"Does the Great-blue-eyes refer to the Not-a-rat-Rat? I would have to fetch him from the Hufflepuff witch's dorms."

"Yes my dear Snookums. _Snug and tight._" The Headmaster replied.

Dumbledore hated it when the stupid rat would not stay in his own dorm room. He had been so happy to have his rat spy back when young Percy had brought his pet rat to him to be approved as a suitable pet to keep at Hogwarts. He had wondered what had happened to him after he had betrayed the Potters and Sirius had tried to kill him, only to end up in Azkaban. That brilliant bit of manipulation was his backup plan in case something went wrong and had left him holding the baby. It pays to always have a backup plan. Dumbledore had both the rat and Ronald spy on the boy as Ronald's reports were always late, of poor quality and all about himself than the boy.

The house-elf bowed, grabbed the sleeping boy's robe and popped away as Snape sneered. He knew exactly who the Not-a-rat-Rat was and what he had done to Lily. But to expose the true betrayer of the Potters would also expose his small very minor insignificant part in the murder, and cost him the protection of the old goat. Worse still, it would free that dirty rotten disgusting grim who had tried to murder him with the werewolf. Snape hated the old goat but his plans were brilliant in the way he used Mutually Assured Destruction to stop his underlings from betraying him, themselves or each other. There was no such thing as an ex-Death Eater and he did not have the gold to stop himself from getting kissed by a Dementor for what he has done for both dark lords.

The much vaunted claim that he had spied for Dumbledore was a cutting two edge sword of bitterness to Severus. The only real spying he had done was at the Hog's Head pub that night. He thought the senile old fool had forgotten to obliviate him of the knowledge of that damned prophecy. So he rushed to tell his lord, only to find that he had painted a big target on Lily's back and the senile old fool had played him again like a violin.

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

The Headmaster and Professor Snape entered the Troll challenge chamber and saw the huge troll still out cold. With a wave of his wand the Headmaster vanish the disgusting overflowing troll size chamber pot with all the mess and smell. Another wave and the troll disappear.

"There that is better. Hagrid will find the troll outside his hut in the morning and can take it back to its family."

"Right next to his pet Cerberus, you are so kind Headmaster. I am sure they won't try to eat each other before dawn." Snape said in a sarcastic tone. "I really think Quirrell has a nasty streak to set up that troll in a chamber for the school year without a self cleaning chamber pot."

"Yes Quirinus has been a worry but he has been working with Tom."

Snape rubbed his left arm and dark mark. It proved the dark lord was not dead. "Where do you think the dark lord is hiding?"

"I am not sure. I had heard he was in the forests of Albania a while ago but after Quirinus' failure at Gringotts, he may be in Britain to keep a close watch on him." The Headmaster lied wondering how Severus could have possibly missed that Quirrell was possessed by the dark lord.

Dumbledore paused thinking of something. "I wonder where Miss. Granger is? I expected to see her before now. Surely Harry would have sent her back to find me after she had solved your Potion Challenge?"

"Lily's son would have sent her back to get help but Potter's brat would have put her in danger."

"Severus you must learn to forgive. I thought you had set up your Potion Challenge so only one could go forward?"

"I did but it is the arrogant brat of Potter we are dealing with." Snape spat out. They had reached the door to the Potion Challenge room and Snape opened it to reveal. "Purple flames, Headmaster. You have over estimated the ability of those two working together to solve a simple logic problem. They are still in there probably arguing."

"Now, now Severus, we must be patient and give them a few minutes. We can not be too hasty or we will void the test."

The Headmaster and Professor Snape waited for two minutes before the impatient Snape cast a Finite charm to reset the Potion Challenge. The purple flames blocking the doorway vanished to show no one was there. Snape just sneered as the Headmaster grinned at the hiccup in the professor's Potion Challenge.

"Potter's brat has taken Miss Granger with him." Snape said as they entered the Potion Challenge room. The purple and black flames reappeared to block their return and going forward. Snape went to cast another _finite_ to remove the black flames when the Headmaster stopped him.

"My turn Severus. I always enjoy a good logic puzzle." The Headmaster said as Snape lowered his wand, and the Headmaster picked up the piece of parchment will the clues to the logic puzzle.

"This a brilliant puzzle with very difficult clues, Severus. Only Miss. Granger could have possibly solved it. Now let me see." The Headmaster mumbled to himself as he worked out the puzzle using his wand drawing various scenarios in the air. "Yes I have got it, the third from the left will allow me to go forward."

The jubilant Headmaster grabbed the not-so-small-third-from-the-left-bottle and raised it to his lips.

"_**N**__**O**__**!"**_

Screamed Snape as he slapped the not-so-small-third-from-the-left-bottle out of the Headmaster's hand and it smashed against the stone wall. The fuming yellow and red solution dripped down and slowly the highly corrosive mixture of acids started to eat the stones away.

"_**That was Aqua Regia!"**_

"**What?** You put **Aqua Regia** in a children's puzzle? Do you really hate James Potter that much."

"_**Indeed y**__**es!" **_Snape said unrepentant as he counted the bottles of potion. "There was supposed to be seven bottles not six! It is the first part of the clues. Didn't you check to see if all the bottles were present?"

The Headmaster just gave him a blank embarrassed look. He was Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore (Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorcerer, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Supreme Mugwump, International Confederation of Wizards, Defeater of the dark lord Grindelwald and winner of the Witch Weekly annual Best Merlin Impersonator for the last century). He kept his eye on the big picture and did not bother with the fine details like if the puzzle had six bottles or seven. His underlings worried about the little things like that. He took out his wand and waved it over the Potion Challenge vanishing all the bottles with the piece of parchment with the clues, and the purple and black flames that were blocking them fizzled out.

Without a word the two wizards advanced to the next chamber with their wands drawn fearful for what they might find. Who took the missing tiny small bottle with the go-forward potion in it and left behind a deadly trap? Was it Quirrell or Harry and Hermione?

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

Meanwhile in a funny looking house shaped like a rook. A young witch awoke with a start. Her long blonde hair was a mess and her bright silver eyes shined in the gloom.

"Well that will never do." Luna said as she thought about her vision.

She quickly dressed herself in her late mother's old first year Ravenclaw robes and tucked her wand behind her ear. Her father had given his late beloved wife's wand to her and it had worked very well for her. Plus it didn't have the trace on it. Quietly she went down the stairs to the kitchen and grabbed some floo powder. She threw the floo powder into the fireplace and said clearly. "Gryffindor common room, password; roar!" As per her vision and stepped into the bright green flames.

Luna loved how much details her visions contained, with all the information that allowed her to plan and act quickly. Sadly the visions only started after her mother's tragic death and she believed that her mother was watching over her. So far her visions had helped her to find many new and strange magical creatures that lived in the woods that surrounded her home.

But this latest vision was about how her friend Neville had shown a lot of courage to stand up against three friends, and got petrified for his trouble. The vision went on to show, after going on a quest and passing many challenges, trials and tests in the castle, a boy who was wearing glasses and looked like the BWL, and a girl were facing a two faced man in front of a mirror. The winner of this contest could save the Magical World. So it was a class five prophecy grade E.L.E. Vision. (Extinction Level Event, E. L. E. End of Life as we Know it.) So no pressure.

The fireplace in the Gryffindor common room flared with green flames and Luna came through. She saw Neville still lying petrified on the cold stone floor wearing his baby blue pajamas with the cute little unicorns running around them. She waved her wand and released the hex.

"Luna? What are you doing here?" Neville asked as he stood up from the floor. Only to be knocked back down as his friend glomped him.

"Oh Neville. I have had a class five prophecy grade E.L.E. vision and you were in it so I knew it was true." Luna said as they stood up again. "The BWL, Harry Potter needs our help. Quickly get dressed."

Neville didn't question his friend and ran up the stairs with Luna following as he had forgotten to let go of her hand. He quickly threw his robes over his pajamas while Luna was startled to hear the excessively loud snoring of Ronald. It was louder than a whole herd of stampeding Umgubular Slashkilters.

With her mage sight, she saw the loyalty compulsions on the bed. Her father had recognized her mage sight ability when Molly Weasley had sent them a howler in a plain white envelope, to explain her disappointment in how Xeno was raising Luna after the passing of her mother. Luna had seen the white envelope coming and recognized it as a howler, so she destroyed it with accidental magic. After that her father had taught her the spells and charms to banish the curses, or banish the object or even force the cursed letter to return to the sender. Skills that Luna got a lot of practice with as she scanned the Quibblers' mail from the less supportive sheeple. So she waved her wand to remove the compulsions from Ronald's bed, and then silenced the curtains while she locked them closed around the bed. She was almost sick to see the disgusting pet not-a-rat-Rat asleep on Ronald's chest. She just didn't want to know.

Luna took Neville's hand and cast a notice-me-not charm on themselves and silenced their shoes, so no one would see them running about the castle this late after curfew. Together they ran down the stairs, out of the common room and on to the forbidden third floor corridor. The Cerberus was gone, so they just jumped down through the trap door. Neville told her to stay still so the Devil's Snare would let them pass. They quietly ran pass the winged keys, the destroyed chess set and into the next chamber. She wondered where the troll in her vision had gone. Then onto the Potion Challenge room but even that was missing. They could hear angry voices, and quietly made their way to the last chamber.

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

Thank you for reading.


	3. Quirrellmort answers unasked question

Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!

Chapter 3 Quirrellmort answers the unasked question. Why?

I don't own the Harry Potter verse. Just playing.

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

Hermione ran as fast and as silently as she could down the corridor in to the final Challenge Chamber. It was a large rectangular ritual hall with three steps down to a sunken floor and a colonnade around the top step of the hall. She hid behind a column just to the left of the corridor from where she came in and clapped her hand over her mouth as she saw there was professor Quirrell and not professor Snape, standing in front of a large mirror with Harry.

From her hiding spot, Hermione could see she was standing directly behind Harry and saw Harry's reflection in the mirror, pale and scared-looking at first. Then his eyes went wide for an instant as though he had seen her reflection standing behind him. But a moment later, the image in the mirror changed to show the front steps of a beautiful Manor House that looked like Castle Howard from the palace she had seen used for the shooting location of the classic British TV series Brideshead Revisited. Standing on the steps was an older taller Harry, maybe twenty, so cute, handsome and healed of all of the abuse he had suffered. This Harry was not alone as he held a beautiful baby boy in his arms and next to him was an older image of herself, gorgeous with a perfect happy smile, her eyes full of love and her hair under control with a beautiful wave. She had her arms around Harry and their son. The older Harry reflection smiled at them and it put its hand into its pocket and pulled out a blood-red stone. It winked and put the Stone back in its pocket — and as it did so, Hermione could see something heavy drop into the real pocket of Harry's jeans. Somehow — incredibly —Harry had gotten the Stone.

"_Well?" said Quirrell impatiently. "What do you see?"_

Hermione watched as Harry screwed up his courage. _'Please lie Harry.'_ She thought hoping Harry would not reveal that he had the stone or her presence.

"_I see myself shaking hands with Dumbledore," he invented. "I — I've won the house cup for Gryffindor."_

Quirrell cursed again as Hermione pumped her fist and silently cheered for her favourite wizard hero. Silently she turned left and walked along the top step hidden behind the colonnade to a position closer to Harry and out of a direct line of view to the mirror. She cringed in fear as she heard the cold high pitched voice of the most feared evil dark lord speak.

"_He lies… He lies…"_

"_Potter, come back here!" Quirrell shouted. "Tell me the truth! What did you just see?"_

_The high voice spoke again._

"_Let me speak to him… face-to-face…"_

"_Master, you are not strong enough!"_

"_I have strength enough… for this…"_

Hermione watched_ Harry as he stood rooted to the spot as if he was held by Devil's Snare. He couldn't move a muscle. Petrified, she watched as Quirrell reached up and began to unwrap his turban. What was going on? The turban fell away. Quirrell's head looked strangely small without it. Then he turned slowly on the spot._

Hermione would have screamed, but she too terrified to make a sound. _Where there should have been a back to Quirrell's head, there was a face, the most terrible face _Hermione_ had ever seen. It was chalk white with glaring red eyes and slits for nostrils, like a snake._

"_Harry Potter…" it whispered._

"_See what I have become?" the face said. "Mere shadow and vapor… I have form only when I can share another's body… but there have always been those willing to let me into their hearts and minds… Unicorn blood has strengthened me, these past weeks… you saw faithful Quirrell drinking it for me in the forest… and once I have the Elixir of Life, I will be able to create a body of my own… Now… why don't you give me that Stone in your pocket?"...PS_

Hermione's worse fear had come true. The monster somehow knew Harry had the stone. She watched has Harry stumbled backward.

"_Don't be a fool," snarled the face. "Better save your own life and join me… or you'll meet the same end as your parents… They died begging me for mercy…"_

"_LIAR!" Harry shouted suddenly._

_Quirrell was walking backward at him, so that Voldemort could still see him. The evil face was now smiling._

"_How touching…" it hissed. "I always value bravery… Yes, boy, your parents were brave" __PS_

"Did the old fool tell you why I came after them?" Voldemort asked.

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

_Voldemort had studied the boy closely that year from the back of Quirrell's head, to see what was so special about him and the power he was supposed to have. He could feel something about the boy but it was hidden or bound or had not presented itself fully yet or only came out in certain circumstances like the Great Halloween Troll incident. He was left wondering, a power that could vanquish one dark lord, could just as easily vanquish the other. A more in depth study would require to get the boy alone, stun him and use dark magic to expose his secrets. But such dark magic would bring the old goat running and he did not want to share the knowledge of such magic with Quirrell. Plus he did not think Quirrell could perform such magic without stuffing up and killing everyone. _

_Leaving Voldemort with only one option, get the stone and get a new body. But he knew with the arrival of the boy, that Dumbledore would shortly show up to save the day and their chance to get the stone and make a clean get away was gone. His only other viable alternative was to crush this boy's faith and trust in the Headmaster. To destroy him completely; body, soul and spirit. He also knew he was in a weak position possessing Quirrell's empty head and lack of magical power. With the boy's luck he would probably get Quirrell's backside kicked again. But if he could sow the seed of doubt and distrust to separate the boy from the old fool's control. Then the boy would be alone, weak, and be easy to finally finish off. But he knew he had to be very careful not to directly threaten the boy's Mudblood girlfriend. He remembered what the boy had done to the troll when it threatens the little witch and provoking the boy would give Quirrell a very painful death._

_Quirrellmort had sat through so many boring staff meeting where the old fool had told them repeatedly not the burden the boy with sad stories of his dead parents. He was not sure why the headmaster wanted to keep the boy totally ignorant of his family and position in the Magical World. Also the Headmaster must be watching the boy closely, (probably the redhead moron spying on him), as he knew when the other staff members had slipped up and spoken to the boy. _

_So the other staff members were very willing to ease their conscience and talk to bumbling Quirrell. Hagrid and Minerva were very talkative, while Snape was just so full of hate and bile for James Potter and Sirius Black, that he still wanted to visit the sins of the father onto the boy, even after the boy had been left rotting in Durzkaban for the last ten years. Trelawney would talk for hours on one bottle of sherry and was a fountain of information of everyone else's secrets that she used in her predictions. They gave Voldemort a good understanding of his nemesis, his life and family, and what the old goat has done without a hint of remorse; to the boy and anyone else who got in his way. He knew it was not Sirius Black who had betrayed the Potters and thought it funny that the old goat had trapped the half-wit in Azkaban. Voldemort realized he had seriously underestimated the depths of evil the manipulative Machiavellian Head-monster would go to, to achieve his greater good. It made Voldemort to feel dirty that he had been used and played for a fool._

_It also amazed Voldemort as he knew that Dumbledore knew just who was possessing Quirrell and yet he still just turned a blind eye and pretend not to notice. He really wondered what the old fool's end game was._

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

Harry shook his head to answer the question as Voldemort's red eyes looked at him and his scar flared in pain.

Voldemort stared into the boy's eyes as he pushed pass the weak non existing defenses of the boy and into his mind to see how the boy had suffered at the old fool's tender mercies. There was something familiar with the boy's mind but he could put his finger on it. Nevertheless he pushed on and could see the boy had been condemned to ten dark and difficult years at that horrible place of no love, care or safety. Even with all the obliviated memories, it was far worse than the old goat's minions had imagined. Even far worse than his own childhood at the orphanage. He snorted that the cunning old fool had used a useless monitoring blood ward powered by the boy's own magic to keep him trapped at Durzkaban and even now at the school, the old fool had continued to obliviate and memory charm the boy.

Voldemort could see the obliviated memory of the boy climbing on the troll's back, shoving his wand up its nose and blowing its brains out. While the boy's new memories show that the redhead moron had some how knocked the troll out with the club. He had been shocked on Halloween and quite clearly remembered what the boy had done to his troll to save the Mudblood. The troll's head had blown up and had not been crushed by a club. He decided to remove the obliviation block and keep a copy of the most painful death of the troll with his all time favourite memories.

Breaking the connection to the boy's mind by shaking his head in disgust at the old fool's manipulations, Voldemort continued to undermine the boy's trust.

"No I thought not, the old fool likes to keep his secrets hidden to make himself feel indispensable, essential to _his greater good__ and __to be the __most __important __person__of all_. But by the look of you, he has kept you in the dark and weak. You know nothing of your family or heritage or why you are so special? Did he care that those disgusting muggles starved and abused you?" Harry flinched as each barb hit home. "No he has treated you worse than those bullies at my orphanage treated me until I discovered my magic, my special gift. No they stopped after that."

Tom remembered back to his first meeting with the old goat. "It was the old fool who told me that I was a wizard and introduced me to the magical world. He came into my room at the orphanage, and showed me some magic, setting fire to my wardrobe without burning anything. It felt so good to be special. After I came to Hogwarts, I worked very hard to excel, to prove myself. Prefect, Head-boy, egregia cum laude Dux Litterarum, and beat Dumbledore's pathetic record. Even got a shield, _T. M. Riddle Special Award for Services to the School_."

"Who?"

Quirrellmort pulled his wand from his _pocket and began to trace it through the air, writing three shimmering words:_

_TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE_

_Then he waved the wand once, and the letters of his name rearranged themselves:_

_I AM LORD VOLDEMORT _

"_You see?" he whispered. "It was a name I was already using at Hogwarts, to my most intimate friends only, of course. You think I was going to use my filthy Muggle father's name forever? I, in whose veins runs the blood of Salazar Slytherin himself, through my mother's side? I, keep the name of a foul, common Muggle, who abandoned me even before I was born, just because he found out his wife was a witch? …. CoS_

Harry's green eyes went wide in recognition that the champion of Pure-bloods; Voldemort, was a half blood with a common muggle father, and that flame writing charm looked so cool.

Quirrellmort continued. "I spent every summer trying to find my family. Only to be bitterly disappointed with penniless inbred squibs and disgusting muggles. I slaughtered the muggles and framed my inbred squib uncle to dispose of that part of my heritage."

"Then I used the rest of my Hogwarts years to gather together my merry band of thugs and murderers, right under the old goat's nose. I gave them the cool name of Death Eaters as I slaughtered any who stood in my way. Muggles, Mudbloods, half bloods or blood traitors, it didn't matter. They all died a most painful death."

Voldemort looked at the fear in Harry's eyes. "I was this close to victory when the old fool was told of a prophecy of a chosen one with the power to vanquish me. I only know of the first part; _'The one with the power to vanquish the - Dark Lord approaches… born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies…'_ It was not much but it was enough for me to identify two boys, you and the Longbottom brat. That prophecy made you Dumbledore's new secret weapon to destroy me and by the look of his care for you, he was going to make sure you did not survive."

Voldemort looked at the shock in Harry's eyes as he shook his head each point as Voldemort put another nail in the coffin of the betrayals of the old fool. "Yes Potter, the Headmaster had tried to sacrifice you as a baby when he set up your parents to be murdered."

Harry's eyes went wide open. "But my parents trusted Dumbledore!"

"And how did that work out for them? They are dead like so many others who blindly put their trust in Dumbledore." Voldemort sneered. "Did he tell you of what he did to your innocent half-wit of a godfather; Sirius Black, rotting away in Azkaban instead of caring for you?"

Seeing the blank look in Harry's face, Voldemort manipulated Quirrell to reach out his hand over the back of his head and on the bridge of Voldemort's nose to show pain and frustration. "This is so embarrassing. The nemesis to the greatest dark lord is an imbecile who depends on dumb luck. How can I possibly win?"

Quirrellmort slowly shook his head in disgust and well into lecture mode. "Azkaban is the rotting hell hole of a wizard's prison. Don't you pay attention in class or are you as brain dead as that obnoxious redhead moron you keep sitting next to. Do you have any idea how many times I wanted to obliterate that loud irritating cretin and his anserine nescient scuttlebutt. His essays and homework are unreadable and incomprehensible. Thanks to him you are almost failing all of your classes and would have if not for your Mudblood girlfriend. Even Dumbledore has had to adjust the moron's grades to just pass as he does for those inbred idiots in Slytherin. Dumbledore is keeping the next generation ignorant and stupid. There is no infamy for a dark lord slaughtering brainless morons. We do have standards to maintain."

Harry tried to interrupt to defend his first friend but everything that the dark lord had said about Ronald was true. Ronald was squandering his time and opportunities at Hogwarts. The only way for Ronald to get his dream of Quidditch captain and head-boy or even prefect, was for Dumbledore to just give it to him.

Then when Hermione was mentioned, he remembered all the times she had helped him and the moron. He hoped he would survive tonight so he could ask her to be his girlfriend as he really wanted to see that gorgeous Hermione he had seen in the mirror with their son. Harry daydreamed a little as Voldemort just kept on expressing his disgust until he finished his rant over the terrible educational standards at Hogwarts because of some hidden agenda of the Headmaster, and returned to topic.

"Azkaban is the nightmare place where you go if they catch you casting any one of the three unforgivable curses if you are not a wealthy Pure-blood with friends. Believe me I really know who betrayed your parents and so did the old fool. He sent your innocent godfather; Sirius Black, to Azkaban to get him out of the way, so he could have complete control over you and send you to those disgusting _relatives_. They really are the worse sort of muggles!"

Voldemort smirked as Harry understood. "Did he tell you of the other friend of your parents, Wormtail the Rat, that really did betray them all? Or that the same rat spy is sleeping in your redhead moron's bed?"

Harry shook his head and thought. 'What is Voldemort talking about Ronald's rat for? Though he did have some vague memory triggered by the word 'Wormtail' of a stag, a big black dog and a fat rat playing together. But that rat had all of his toes.'

"Tell me Potter, did the redhead moron ride the knight's horse and sacrificed himself to allow you to win the chess match?"

Harry nodded wondering how Quirrellmort knew.

"Did he make a speech about only you needed to continue and self-sacrifice?"

Harry nodded again wondering where Quirrellmort was going?

"Does that seem a bit odd to you?"

Harry thought about it now, and wondered why. As Ronald had never let him win before. The only time he came close, Ronald got very agitated and distracting, so he could not concentrate and lost again. He slowly nodded his head.

Voldemort smiled at how easy it was to destroy that rocky sycophant friendship. "The moron works for the old fool and has been spying on you. Letting you win the chess match earnt him a ₲1000 galleon bonus."

"What?"

"Dumbledore is paying him to be your best friend and close personal spy, Harry, everything was set up for you to meet the redheads."

"No it can't be. How would you know that?"

"Harry, my dear boy, there is mind magic you know. The gentle art of Legilimency and Occlumency. Legilimency allows a skilled dark lord to read minds while Occlumency protects the mind and keeps your secrets. Did you feel your scar flared in pain when I looked into your eyes?" Harry nodded. "That was me reading your mind and all your dark secrets."

"That's not nice!"

"I am a dark lord Harry, it is what we dark lords do." Voldemort sneered. "Dumbledore does the same thing when his eyes twinkle. Though it was not hard to read that redhead moron's mind as he thinks so loudly. Food, money, food, sleeping, food, Quidditch and food. Did you see him doodling in the DADA text book drawing his own broom designs?"

Harry nodded.

"That's the broom he is going to buy for spying on you. As for setting up your fortuitous meeting of the redheads in Kings Cross station, Hagrid told me how he was most upset that he had forgotten to tell you how to get onto platform 9 ¾ and how thankful he was when howler Molly found you outside and helped you."

"But?"

"Harry they are blood traitor Pure-bloods, they can floo directly onto the platform from their fireplace. The barrier was for Mudbloods! Do you think the Malfoys would go through that Mudblood barrier into Muggle Kings Cross? They had no reason to be outside the barrier other than to make sure you met your moron best friend."

Harry was stunned; the Malfoys would rather be dead than be seen with muggles. Uncle Vernon had dropped him off at Kings Cross Station at 10:30am and he had not seen anyone else outside the barrier between platform 9 and 10 until the Weasleys arrived. Image Draco asking that pompous guard for directions to platform 9 ¾. Harry chuckled.

"What's so funny Harry?"

"Er."

"Come on Harry, I can enjoy a joke just as much as the next dark lord?"

"Er, I asked a guard at Kings Cross Station for directions and he was not amused. And you mentioned the Malfoys. Image Draco asking that guard and then saying _'Wait until my father hears about this.' _when the pompous guard answered."

Voldemort chuckled. "Yes his father; Slippery Lucius, was worse, always saying; _'Wait until my father hears about this __or that__.' _Right up until that day when his father, Abraxas, failed me and I had to teach them a lesson and crucioed the portentous fool to death. Now that was funny."

"Oh." Harry said not really seeing the funny side of that. Must be dark lord humour, he assumed as crucio sounded like a very painful curse.

Voldemort laughed at his own joke. "Also most as funny as the Head-monster giving me a job to teach you dunderheads the dark arts."

"Oh!"

"And he knows it is me teaching his precious Boy-Who-Didn't-Die!"

"Oh, so it all has been a set up?" Harry asked quietly.

Voldemort nodded as he still was giggling.

"What about Hermione?" Harry asked in a very small voice.

"Oh, your Mudblood girlfriend?" Voldemort smiled at that sharp rose thorn in Dumbledore's plans and wondered how he could twist the love of the Mudblood against the boy. Yes, _t__he__ good old you__-__put__-__the__-__one__-__you__-__love__-__in__-__danger card._

Harry nodded shyly embarrassed at the term Mudblood.

"You really are blind Harry. That redhead moron's greed, jealousy and rage has always come between you and your witch, and kept you apart." Voldemort said shaking his head. "I won't lie to you, Harry. If I had a witch like her to love me as much as your Mudblood girlfriend loves you I would have never become what I am today. In fact Quirrell has ₲100 in the redhead terror twin's pool riding on her kissing you before the end of term. You won't let us down, will you?"

"Oh! So she loves me?"

Voldemort manipulated Quirrell to reach out his hand over the back of his head and on the bridge of Voldemort's nose to show pain and frustration. "Harry, Harry, Harry why don't you kiss her and find out. But will you still love her and put her in danger, knowing that I want to kill you and anybody you love while everyone else is betraying you?"

Harry didn't know what to think. He really did like Hermione but he did not want to put her into danger because Voldemort wanted to kill him and her, and if he told her that, he knew he would be in even more danger from an angry witch, but the makeup hug afterwards would be awesome. Taking relationship advice from an evil dark lord was so confusing and really messes with your head. He decided to talk to Hermione about their relationship.

"Ahem, ahem. Getting back on topic, Harry. Did the headmaster tell you that it was McGonagall and him that abandoned you to the hell of Durzkaban? And didn't care to check on you?"

Harry was still thinking about Hermione loving him and not paying attention. "What abandon who at Durzkaban?"

"It is very rude not to pay attention and dark lords don't repeat themselves, Harry."

"Sorry."

"That's better; you are a well behaved child without the bad influence of that redhead moron Harry. Your mother would be most displeased with you having that retard as a friend and how he treats you and your witch."

"Sorry. I was just thinking about Hermione."

"Oh for Merlin's sake, Harry. _**K**__**iss the girl!"**_

"Okay, okay."

"Now did you get the bit about how the headmaster and McGonagall abandoned you to the hell of Durzkaban? And didn't care to check on you?"

"They did? That was not nice of them."

"No it wasn't! Child abuse is evil!" Voldemort said with conviction. "And you know the evil old goat is going to trap you back there for summer. Hated, beaten, starved and all alone without any love."

Harry winced; he really wanted to be with Hermione this summer.

"Most of my Death Eaters had been abused children. Slippery Lucius particularly, he hid it well but all the signs were there and that evil Dumbledore just let it happen. Educating those bullies at the orphanage gave me my purpose in life."

"Oh?"

"Now did the headmaster tell you of Snape's betrayal?" Getting another stun look from Harry as he smiled, that got his attention. "Yes, that horrible abusive bully Severus Snape was the Death Eater told me the prophecy after the old goat let him go."

Harry's anger flared at the thought that Snape had played a part in the betrayal of his parents that led to him suffering in Durzkaban for ten years. The headmaster knew and still gave the Death Eater a job with children.

"Did the headmaster tell you of how so many of my faithful followers avoided Azkaban with his help? Always ready to give a second chance even for the twentieth time to those who never gave their victims a single solitary chance. It was only that old battleaxe Longbottom who forced them to send the Lestrange and a few faithful followers to Azkaban. While thanks to the Headmaster, most of my Death Eaters walked free. So with my support network is still intact, cashed up and ready to go. Once I recreate my new improved body with the stone, I will be back in business in no time, as if I had never left." Voldemort sneered. "Do you ever wonder whose side the old fool is really on?"

"He is the leader of the light!"

"Well he kept you in the dark, didn't he? Your Mudblood mother's sacrifice was all in vain thanks to Dumbledore. My next generation of faithful Death Eaters are being trained how to hate and treat Mudbloods and blood traitors in this school today with you. All under the senile headmaster big crooked nose."

Harry was flabbergasted. Malfoy and all those Slytherin thugs were just dying to sign up to be the next generation of Death Eaters. If Voldemort came back and started the second blood war it would be student against student. Nothing had changed because Dumbledore had squandered every single opportunity for a better more egalitarian magical world that his mother's sacrifice had given them, on his greater good. Keeping the Wizarding world and the old Pure-blood families happy in the last century.

Voldemort continued. "It was the Headmaster who sent that troll after your little witch on Halloween. I had sent it to the dungeon to keep Snape and the other professors far away from the forbidden third floor corridor. The castle wards alerted the old fool that Quirrell wanted to bring the troll in, and he gave his permission to allow it to pass through the wards. If asked afterwards he would claim he thought Quirrell was just swapping the trolls in his Painful Death challenge or making a booty call."

Harry was shocked that the Headmaster had endangered Hermione, but since Voldemort had read his mind he now had a second memory of the attack in the bathroom.

"Do you now have two memories of the troll incident, Harry?"

Harry was bewildered but nodded.

"One with you and Longbottom going to save your witch and you blowing the troll's brains out, and a second memory with you and the moron going and that moron knocks the troll out?"

Harry nodded again.

"I was there Harry. I saw what was left that troll after you blew its brains out. You were there with Longbottom as the moron was still in the Great Hall stuffing his face. You left him there as it was the moron's bullying that sent your witch to the bathroom in the first place, and Longbottom told you where she was and went with you. The second memory is an obliviation and memory charm courtesy of the Headmaster to separate you from Longbottom and make the moron your best friend even after he bullied your witch, and she hid in that bathroom all afternoon crying her heart out."

With each point Harry's spirit sunk lower to the cold stone floor. He hated Snape already but he had really trusted his first friend and Dumbledore, they were using and betraying him plus bullying Hermione and Neville, and he had let it happen. And what the hell is a booty call? The only ray of hope was Hermione but could he risk her life and have her end up like his mother? He hated all the bigotry, abuse and hatred that Hermione suffered and that filled to hallways of Hogwarts, and Dumbledore and the professors ignore and just turned a blind eye. Voldemort could see Harry's spirit breaking and went for the kill and the big finish.

"After the rat led me to your home that dark cold night_,"_

"_... I killed your father first; and he put up a courageous fight… but your mother needn't have died… she was trying to protect you"…PS_

"Your _mother left upon_ you _the traces o__f __her sacrifice… This is old magic, I should have remembered it, I was foolish to overlook it"… __GoF_

"_I miscalculated, my friends, I admit it. My curse was deflected by the woman's foolish sacrifice, and it rebounded upon myself. Aaah… pain beyond pain, my friends; nothing could have prepared me for it. I was ripped from my body, I was less than spirit, less than the meanest ghost… but still, I was alive. What I was, even I do not know… I, who have gone further than anybody along the path that leads to immortality. You know my goal - to conquer death. And now, I was tested, and it appeared that one or more of my experiments had worked… for I had not been killed, though the curse should have done it. Nevertheless, I was as powerless as the weakest creature alive, and without the means to help myself… for I had no body, and every spell that might have helped me required the use of a wand"… GoF_

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

Hermione had been daydreaming about the relationship advice the dark lord had given Harry and resolved to talk to Harry about it. When her eyes grew large with the realization of what she had heard Voldemort just say. He had cast the killing curse at Harry's mother Lily, and it killed her but had the old magic Lily had invoked, been able to use her sacrifice to make the same curse rebounded back at the monster, destroying his body and some how making Voldemort a wraith before he could curse Harry. Hermione wondered how on earth Harry had ended up with that scar when the killing curse was painless and left no mark, far less a cursed scar that never healed and seemed to be always fighting against something protecting Harry.

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

Voldemort smiled as he looked down at the crushed spirit of the boy barely standing on the cold stone floor.

"So here we are, Harry. Hogwarts, the safest place in the world and yet we keep bumping into each other." He sneered. "The old fool has set you up again, Harry. The third time this year, not that I am keeping count. Not sure why the headmaster is so helpful or why he wants you so dead."

Voldemort paused. "I want you dead too, Harry, I am not going to lie to you. Besides it is bad for my evil dark lord image to have a boy I can't kill."

"The Pure-bloods also want you dead so they can try to seize your family fortune. That's if the old goat has left any. So Harry, give me the Stone. Go and join your dear mother as _**everyone **__**here**__** wants you dead." **_Voldemort said with an evil chuckle.

Voldemort's words hit hard at his heart as Harry considered each point of betrayal of his horrible life. He did not know how much was true or what had been twisted. But the dark lord had over played his hand as last barb was a lie. **A disgusting bald face lie.** There was one person here who loved him and wanted him very much alive. The one single cute little witch he had seen in the mirror with their son. They were all he needed to live for.

"_**NEVER!" **_

Harry cried as he reached into his pocket to pull out the stone.

"_**SEIZE HIM!"**_

Voldemort screamed as Harry brought his hand back to throw, and then Quirrellmort sprang forward to seize the stone. But when his hand wrapped around Harry's fist, he screamed in agony, and let go as the skin of his hands burnt and blistered, while Harry felt a momentary needle-sharp pain seared across his scar. The pain in his head faded and Harry did not hesitate. He threw the Philosopher's Stone into the Mirror of Erised with everything he had. His sole desire was to destroy the stone and the dark lord to save his Hermione.

Harry allowed the follow through of throwing the stone to turn him to the right direction away from the mirror and he ran to escape the expected magical backlash explosion of the mirror and stone. Only to see Hermione coming down the steps heading straight towards him. His face lit up with a smiled to know that Hermione had come back for him; it warmed his heart with hope and ejected the lead in his feet that had slowed him down.

Harry tackled Hermione and twisted in mid air so she would land on top of him as they fell to the cold hard stone floor and slid into the corner. But when they hugged each other, a pale golden glow surrounded them so Harry's back landed on a soft cushion of magic while Hermione landed on top of all of Harry's sharp pointy ribs and bones. Harry continued to roll and sandwiched Hermione between himself and the bottom stone step to protect her.

Hermione was not bothered by the pointy ribs and bones as she finally had her Harry right where she wanted him, in her arms as she promised herself. She seized the moment and kissed him as if they were about to die. Knowing Harry's luck, that was a distinct possibility but such a romantic way to go. Joined together with a passionate loving kiss for all eternity. Better than any Mills and Boon romance that she had ever read.

Harry caught by the cute witch, wisely surrendered and followed her example to kiss her back. Thankful for the relationship advice of an evil dark lord. It had been silly and dangerous for Hermione to come after Harry but he really needed her so much. After all she was his only reason to live and together they were invincible.

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

The roaring sucking gargling noise that filled the chamber had gotten loud enough to finally make Harry and Hermione realize that they were still in the land of the living. They finished their first kiss as they turned to see what was happening with the mirror. They were shocked to see it had not shattered when the stone hit it but the mirror had allowed the stone to pass into it with Quirrellmort standing in front with a shocked look on both of his faces, that the boy had just thrown away all that power and riches of the stone to save a witch.

While Quirrell saw the boy protecting his girlfriend and remembered the unfortunate troll.

"_**OOPS!"**_

"**OOPS, Quirrell? What do you mean by OOPS?" **

Voldemort demanded but Quirrell could only point with his arm. Voldemort made Quirrell spin around so he could see what Quirrell was pointing to.

"_**AW DAMN!"**_

Voldemort said as he saw the boy protecting his witch. He really wanted to avoid giving Quirrell a painful death like the troll as any exploding heads would particularly effect him stuck on the back.

"_**OOPS!"**_

"_**Now what Quirrell? Will you stop with the OOPS I'm thinking!"**_

Voldemort cried as he forced Quirrell to spin around again to see that the mirror had turned blood red and glowed like they were looking down into a boiling burning lava pool about 100 metres below the mirror's surface as Quirrellmort just stood transfixed in front watching it. Harry and Hermione could see the terror in his blood red eyes and the sweat on Voldemort's face as it blistered in the heat.

"_**AW BLOODY HELL POTTER! NOT AGAIN!"**_

Voldemort cried as he knew that this was going to end painfully, while Quirrell just whimpered. They all felt the heat of the lava pool and watched as a wind vortex formed like a horizontal whirlpool or the funnel of a tornado over the lava pool, pass the mirror and into the chamber. The vortex winds started to suck Quirrellmort in. He tried to turn and run but the winds were stronger and sucked him closer.

"_**AW DAMN, DAMN DAMNITY DAMN, DAMN!"**_

Cried the darkest, most evil dark lord of the millennium as he cursed the phenomenon that is Harry Potter's luck and was slowly sucked towards the mirror.

"_**AAAARGH! DAMN YOU POTTER!"**_

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

Thank you for reading.


	4. Two dark lords with one blow

Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!

Chapter 4 Two dark lords with one blow sounds like a good epitaph.

I don't own the Harry Potter verse. Just playing.

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

Chapter 4 Two dark lords with one blow sounds like a good epitaph.

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

The Headmaster was livid beyond enraged and beside himself, the boy after having miserably failed to die all year, was supposed to attack Quirrellmort to save the stone. He had specifically instructed Severus not to interfere before Quirrellmort was attacked by the boy. He needed to test if the protection from the old magic of his mother's sacrifice was still active and would it destroy any vessel Wraithmort inhabited. Destroying Quirrellmort while the boy lives, would safely release Wraithmort to float away to come back in fourth year for the Tri-Wizard Tournament as he had planned. Then he could guilt trip the boy for murder while he came off as the great hero saving the boy.

But no, instead he had to stand there disillusioned while Tom cheerfully spilled all of his darkest secrets and dirty washing. Completely destroying his grandfather image and showing him for the dark lord he truly was. He was so distracted that he did not notice the two other students sneak into the chamber and hide behind the columns on the other side.

Dumbledore was surprised how much Tom had put together of the boy's life over the last ten years, just by talking to the staff. When Tom had asked Harry the question if the Headmaster had explained why Tom had gone after the Potters, he had to stun and obliviate Severus to stop him from killing him then and there. Having Severus work out again that he had set up the murder of Lily would never end well. He may have trusted Severus with his life, but he never trusted Severus with all of his precious secrets. No he did not trust Severus that much.

Dumbledore stamped his foot in frustration; he could not believe that Tom had seen through all of his manipulations. But he had to wait until the boy attacked Quirrellmort. Then he could ride in and save the day. Then obliviate the boy and the-know-it-all to hell and back.

When Tom had finished spilling all of Dumbledore's secrets and asked for the stone the second time, Dumbledore quickly updated the obliviation on Severus, removing all the information of his betrayal, and revived him as he needed Severus to witness the attack on Quirrellmort by the boy. He thought it was going to happen when the boy pulls the stone from his pocket and Quirrellmort jumped to grab the stone in the boy's fist, but Lily's protection on the boy was far too powerful and had burnt Quirrellmort's hand off.

_'Good.' Thought Dumbledore in his mind. 'Now attack Quirrellmort while he is in pain you stupid boy. Grab his face! **Grab his face!****'**_

_**'NO DON'T THROW THE STONE ****INTO THE MIRROR ****YOU FREAK!****' **_Shouted Dumbledore in his mind.

'_**BLOODY HELL POTTER!' **_Raged through his head.

Dumbledore was stocked and infuriated. The stupid evil boy had thrown the stone into the mirror and he had to dive behind a column to avoid the magical backlash of the forced combination of those two highly magical relics. Dumbledore knew the secret of Voldemort's immortality, even the fine print that Voldemort had ignored. Tom's immortality was safe so long has he or one of his Horcruxes was connected to a living life force. It was the connection to Harry's living life force through that cursed scar that saved Wraithmort that Halloween. So Quirrellmort could kill Harry or Harry could destroy Quirrellmort but not both together with the destruction of the stone and mirror. That would have broken the connection to a living life force that Tom needed to power his Horcruxes.

But the explosion didn't happen. Dumbledore looked up to see the horizontal whirlpool slowly start to suck Quirrellmort into the mirror.

"_**NOOOOOOOOO!" **_

Screamed the Headmaster as he removed his disillusion charm and rushed down the steps towards Quirrellmort and the mirror. He dare not destroy the mirror to save Quirrellmort as the stone was in it and its destruction could devastate everything.

"_**What have you done you stupid evil **__**boy?" **_

"_**Have you gone so dark **__**to murder someone**__**?"**_

Screamed the Headmaster as Professor Snape followed closely and stopped, he was not sure why Dumbledore went to Quirrellmort so he positioned himself between Dumbledore and Quirrellmort, and Harry and Hermione. He had never seen the Headmaster this mad. Even Bella never was this crazy when she went after the Longbottoms in search of her dark lord.

"_**You evil freak, you have gone and totally ruin everything!"**_

The Headmaster screamed as he dropped his wand and reached out to grab Quirrellmort's uninjured hand as the other injured hand had started to turn into ash. The spiraling wind blew the wand to Harry who caught it in a shower of stars, with his seeker skills.

"_**And after every little thing I have done for you!"**_

"_**I am SOOO disappointed in you!"**_

The Headmaster might be ancient and skinny but he was wiry and had a very strong grip as his hand wrapped around Quirrellmort's wrist in a death grip.

"_**I am afraid that you will be in detention with Professor Snape!"**_

"_**Until you GRADUATE!"**_

Hermione wrapped Harry up in a hug to protect him from the harsh words of the Headmaster. They watched in shock as Dumbledore proved everything Voldemort had said about him was true.

"**Oh why could you not just die like you were supposed to." **

"**Did you not see Mr. Weasley's brave example of self-sacrifice?"**

Hermione mentally gave herself a gold star as she had worked out the chess match was a set up by Ronald and Dumbledore. While Harry wonder who else knew about the fixed chess match.

"**You were supposed to attack Quirrellmort to save the stone!"**

"**Not throw the stone into the mirror! You miserable little tiddler!"**

Hermione looked at Harry and they both silently agreed that Harry would never attack a teacher as professor Snape proved that.

"**_I __still __needed th__at__ stone __and now you have lost it__!"_**

"**_Couldn't you see it was all __for My Greater Good!"_**

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

Dumbledore was livid. The boy had totally ruined everything by throwing the stone into the mirror and forced him to destroy his perfectly crafted Grandfather Merlin's image by saving the dark lord. He knew he would have to obliviate all of them just as soon as he saved Tom from the stupid mirror.

But saying that '_the boy was to attack Quirrellmort__' _out loud, made the Headmaster realized that he might have had made just a little miscalculation. The boy had been abused and conditioned to never fight back or attack anyone for the fear of greater pain. Trolls were dumb animals, but Durzkaban, Snape, Draco, even Ronald proved that the boy would not fight back or attack a bully. It was how the aggression of all bullies worked with fear, pain and intimidation. The boy's conditioning would have him to automatically try to save the stone by throwing it as far away as possible, and he had followed the Headmaster example by putting the stone back into the mirror.

All Dumbledore could think was 'OOPS!', as he turned to look at Severus and could see he was thinking the same thing.

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

Actually Severus was way ahead of the old goat, and had already thought of that little mistake was going to cost the old fool big time as Potter never looked like attacking him for all the nasty things he had done to him.

Then he turned to look at the boy protecting his Hermione with his body and realized what really happened to that unfortunate Troll. Put Miss. Granger in danger and you unleash the son of LILY EVANS Potter with the unholy fury of twelve rampaging marauders. Seeing the troll was about to hurt his Hermione, the boy flew onto the troll's back with every intention of ripping its head off with his bare hands, but his wand was out and had gone up the troll's nose, and blew its brains out with shear accidental magic. The Troll was a dead duck walking from the moment the old goat sent it after the little witch.

Severus was so glad that his godson had never laid a finger on Miss. Granger and wondered how the redhead moron could possibly be was still breathing? He was also glad that Miss. Granger had hidden herself behind that column, and that Quirrellmort had not directly threaten her personally as he would hate to see what would be left of the dark lord and the old goat after the son of LILY EVANS Potter was finished with them. He himself would not have been hanging around to find out.

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

The Headmaster might be wiry but he was tall and thin with no body mass for a tug-of-war. He put all of his weight to pull Quirrellmort's arm away from the mirror only for the dark lord to be flipped horizontally off the floor and his feet sank into the mirror up to his knees.

"**Severus! Quickly! Give me your hand, pull us back."**

The Headmaster reached back with his free hand and grabbed Severus' wrist in another death grip. Severus dropped his wand and pulled with everything he had as the spiraling wind blew the wand to Harry. Quirrellmort did not budge. Snape planted his feet to pull again but the mirror would not surrender the dark lord and just continue to slowly sucked Quirrellmort in as he screamed and yelled at the old goat.

"Let the dark lord go Dumbledore! _We can't save him!"_

"**No we must save him!** I have sacrificed everything. I must redeem _**my son!"**_

"_**WHAT!"**_ Cried Severus and Quirrellmort together.

"_**Never! Release me you **__**old**__** f**__**art**__**.**_ I rather die a thousand deaths than have an evil bastard like you as my father!"

Voldemort continued to scream at the headmaster with every foul word in every language he knew. While he forced Quirrell to jerk about and twist to try and break the Headmaster's death grip as Snape just stared in shock.

The spiraling winds and Quirrellmort's twisting upended the Headmaster and the contents of his pockets fell onto the floor. A mokeskin pouch, a heavy gold Family ring with a 'P' on it, and three spare wands blew across to Harry.

"Please Severus!" Dumbledore pleaded. "He is my son. My only son. I must save him at any cost."

"How could he possibly be your son?" Snape screamed but Dumbledore didn't answer. He had made the mistake of telling Severus about his son before and Severus had very quickly joined all the dots together and realized what he had done to Lily. Severus almost completely destroyed his office in the shear ferocity of his wrath. It had taken five attempts to obliviate that little bit of information from the Potions master's mind.

"_**Why?"**_ Snape screamed as the old goat breeder's obliviations started to fail as secrets were revealed, and then he pretended to slip when Dumbledore didn't answer.

"I needed a blood connection to the family of that held one of the Deathly Hallows." Dumbledore struggled to answer. "They had the resurrection stone."

Severus had an instant of clarity as the obliviations failed in a Déjà Vu moment, and he had worked it all out before, and realized what the old goat breeder had done to him and Lily. Once Dumbledore had trapped him in the castle after that Halloween, he had many lonely nights with the school records, and discovered a lot about the half blood dark lord born Tom Marvolo Riddle, and he had heard about Dumbledore and Grindelwald's quest the mystical Deathly Hallows. This final missing piece of the puzzle solved the question of his life. Everything he had suffered and all the people Dumbledore had sacrificed to redeem his son. It all made sense now and he knew what he needed to do.

"You defiled Merope Gaunt?"

Dumbledore struggle to answer. "Well I was not going to marry her. She was a squib and a hag!" Dumbledore spat, annoyed that Severus had worked that out. He was actually a little proud of his son's magical ability and desire to discover everything about magic, but wished he didn't enjoy murdering others so much. "Where do you think Tom got all his magic from? An inbred squib and a disgusting muggle? I used love potions to set her up with that fool Tom Riddle but the idiot muggle ran off and abandoned her."

"_**No you lie! **_I murdered my filthy muggle father to destroy their foul heritage." Voldemort screamed.

Snape ignored Voldemort. "You defiled Merope Gaunt, abandon her, and violated the family magic of a most Ancient and most Noble House. The family of Salazar Slytherin? _**Are you completely insane?**_ You have brought the most powerful dark curse of Slytherin upon us. You Merlin damn fool. _**You have **__**murdered**__** us all."**_

"_**It was for my greater good."**_ Dumbledore uttered his mantra to justify all the evil things he did. "To completely unite the Deathly Hallows I had to have a blood relation to the family. I will _a__scend to__ be __the __Master of Death __**when **__**the boy**__** dies**__**!**__**"**_

Snape could not believe the old fool could do something that insane, vile and disgusting. But he also knew without the Headmaster's protection he would not survive as he had made too many enemies working for both dark lords. But he could do one thing to try and save Lily's son, and maybe even redeem himself.

It was a sad irony that the Head-monster Machiavellian manipulations encouraged his minions to do what is wrong. From lying, bullying, stealing, all the way to murder and worse. All the most despicable and atrocious aspects of human nature. While those same manipulations discouraged and made it so damn hard to do what is right.

Severus Snape summons all of his courage for what he knew he must do. He turned to Harry and hoped to see Lily's eyes one last time.

"Look at me Potter, I am sorry. I loved your mother Lily and utterly despised your father. The Headmaster twisted my hatred for your father onto you. Everything I did was on his orders to keep you abused, bullied, ignorant and weak, as did his other useless redhead minions. Trust only Granger and Longbottom. Live Potter. Live for Lily and one day please forgive me."

"_**No Severus we must save my son!"**_

Snape stared into Harry's eyes and used his wandless Legilimency to sent the memories of Lily growing up a vibrant happy girl and the good times he had shared with her at Hogwarts. Even a few after Hogwarts when they just happen to meet at Hogwarts or Diagon Alley. The last two memories had a bouncing smiling happy baby Harry in his mother's loving arms, and Harry on his toy broomstick being chased by his mother after almost killing the cat. He had come to warn Lily that Voldemort had marked them for death and of the danger of the rat.

Resolute, he turned back to face the headmaster.

"What happens if you both die?"

"I have protected myself. I won't die! _**So let go you old fool!"**_ Voldemort screamed to the old goat and then turned to face Snape with his angry red eyes.

"_**I'll be back, Snivellus Snape, and when I do, you will be so dead! You and all of your little friends!" **_

The harsh words of Voldemort only harden Severus' resolve to do what he needed to do.

While Dumbledore went white as a ghost and he saw his worst case scenario come true. He whispered in utter dread.

"The boy would be the last true heir. He could ascend to be Master of Death."

Severus smiled.

"_**FAWKES!"**_

Dumbledore screamed for one last attempt.

Fawkes flamed into the chamber and took one look at the ridiculous dancing Headmaster with his arms stretched out, one hand holding the fighting Quirrellmort, who was up to his waist into the mirror, while the other hand holding the sour professor. He just sadly shook his head as if to say.

_**'Not this time old bean. I don't **__**do**__** dark lords. You're on your own, **__**sweety!**__**'**_

Dumbledore cursed.

Fawkes winked at Harry and Hermione, and then nodded to Snape to say _**'Carry on the good work'**_, as he flamed out, making a rude gesture with his wings at the Headmaster.

Dumbledore desperately turned to Harry and Hermione. "Harry my dear boy, you won't let my son die. Please help me! James and Lily would have helped me to save my son."

"Don't listen to him Potter!" Screamed Quirrellmort. "Let go you insane old fool!"

Harry was so shocked after everything the Head-monster had done and all the betrayal, murders and lost he had suffered because of the old fool. Now having some memories of his mother's childhood, proof that Lily Evans Potter had lived and loved. Showing how beautiful she was, her smile and the sound of her voice when she laughed that reminded him of Hermione. He could feel what Severus' felt when Lily loved someone. To feel such love made him miss his mother all the more. It was too much; he closed his eyes and buried his face into Hermione's shoulder.

All Hermione could do to express her disgust of the Head-monster was to poke her tongue out at him as her hands were wrapped around holding her Harry. Otherwise she would have cheerfully punched his big crooked nose. But then she discovered that she did have one finger free, so she waved it at the Head-monster as the one finger statue that she had about in a book.

Dumbledore started to curse again, but then he stopped and started to jiggle around and laugh. Not quite like a maniacal laugh of a crazy person but jiggle and laugh he did as though someone was tickling him.

With no help to come from Fawkes, Harry or the forever authority respecting Hermione, Severus' smiled turned into a lopsided grin. It felt so good to have such power to save Lily's son and his beloved from both dark lords at once.

"Two dark lords with one blow sounds like a good epitaph." Severus quietly whispered.

Hermione saw that look in Professor Snape's eyes. The same look Harry had when he jumped on to the troll's back.

"Yes…" said Severus softly to reassure himself, "It's the only way… I've got to sacrifice myself."

"NO! There must be another way!" Hermione shouted.

"That's life!" snapped Severus. "You've got to make some sacrifices! I have made too many of the wrong sacrifices! _**This time I choose Love!**__**"**_

"But —"

"Do you want to stop the dark lords or not?"

"Severus —"

"I am sorry but it is the only way or they will escape with the Stone and murder us all!"

There was no alternative.

"Ready?" Snape called, his face pale but determined. "Here I go — now, don't forget to live and one day please..."

"Sev, I forgive you."

Harry said looking directly into Severus' eyes. He felt that it would be his mother's wish to forgive her childhood friend.

It took all of Severus' mental ability to hold his nerve hearing those heartfelt words. While the Head-monster would cheerfully manipulate him to die a most painful death, without a hint of remorse. The same sociopathic Head-monster would never understand love or how Severus could gladly sacrifice his life for the one he loved. Harry really was his mother's son with her beautiful emerald green loving eyes, his young voice sounded so much like her and to hear her say his name again, '_Sev__'_. All Severus could do was to give a nod of thanks to Harry and Hermione.

With new found confidence and courage of the power of forgiveness, Severus launched into his farewell speech and his own endgame as he turned to face Dumbledore who had stopped laughing.

"_**I'm afraid **__**my dear **__**Albus, **__**but this**__** is for the Greatest Good!"**_

"_**NOOOOoooo!"**_

"_**FOR LILY!"**_

Snape cried as he jumped up lifting Dumbledore off the floor while the wind vortex made a loud horrible gargling vacuum sound as Quirrellmort, Dumbledore and Severus Snape with his robes billowing, and did a swan dive as they were all sucked into the mirror.

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

Falling to certain well deserved death, Severus Snape shed a tear as he realized that the Universe really did detest him as he tried to make up for a life squandered in bitterness and hatred with one great grand gesture. His noble sacrifice was a far, far better thing that he did, then he had ever done, and instead of brave, courageous, inspiring background music. All the Universe could do was make a loud sound like he was going down the drain pipe of despair into the nightmare of fiery torment of Dumbledore's Greater Good.

And he also missed out on the far, far better rest that he could have gone to than he had ever known.

But it was a quick merciful death which was far better than he expected. Taking the Machiavellian manipulative Head-monster Dumbledore who had ruined his dreams, with him was a big bonus and the death of the dark lord Quirrellmort, was just the cherry on top. Plus for the first time since starting Hogwarts, Severus Snape felt free.

And it was all worth it just to see the love in Lily's eyes and hear her sweet voice for one last time.

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

**What **Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore (Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorcerer, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Supreme Mugwump, International Confederation of Wizards, Defeater of the dark lord Grindelwald and winner of the Witch Weekly annual Best Merlin Impersonator for the last century), **cursed** as he fell to his well deserved death (read start of his next great adventure) in the boiling lava pool, **was not printable.** But the cursing only worsened when he discovered he had left behind his precious Elder Wand, his well-organized mind and his greater good.

While the very pale nervous pathetic flunky, with one of his eyes twitching, the p-p-poor, st-stuttering P-Professor Quirrell stammered.

"_**B-B-B-B-BLOODY H-H-H-H-HELL P-P-P-P-POTTER!"**_

"_**D-D-D-D-DETENTION D-D-D-D-DAMN Y-Y-Y-YO..."**_

_**S-S-S-SPLAT!**_

_**S-S-S-SIZZLE!**_

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

Harry and Hermione could see them spiraling down to the lava pool. There were three flares of flames as the two most evil darkest dark lords of the millennium, the worse DADA professor, and the darkest but redeemed Potion Master hit the boiling lava and their mortal remains were incinerated.

Harry and Hermione watched as three black dark mist man shaped wraiths things and one grey wraith rose above the lava. The grey wraith went sideways to the left as though the Universe was not finished with him. Probably sent to another world of the fantasy, thriller genres. A tale of a vengeful wizard / hitman's return from hell to take his revenge on the mongrels who murdered his lover, his robes billowing, and with style, totally, unabashedly dark, twisted, and hilarious. But that is another story.

While two of the black wraiths were sucked straight down while the last black wraith seemed to just hang there.

Then Harry felt an enormous stab of pain from his forehead as though someone was trying to pull something out of his scar. The last black wraith looked like it was climbing an invisible rope attached to Harry's scar to try and come back out of the mirror. They watched in horror as it reached the mirror but it could not pass through. It banged on the glass but it did not break. It pulled harder on the invisible rope attached to Harry's scar and started to drag Harry and Hermione who was holding her wizard with everything she had, across the floor and slowly towards the mirror.

"_**No, not my Harry!"**_ Hermione cried.

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

Thank you for reading.


	5. Neville and Luna save the day

Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!

I don't own the Harry Potter verse. Just playing.

10/08/14, 11/08/14

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

Chapter 5 Neville and Luna save the day.

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

Neville and Luna had been watching everything that had happened with stun silence. It was one thing for Luna to watch a vivid vision from the safety of her bed while asleep. It was another thing to actually watch it unfold in front of you with all the actions, sounds and smells, without any safety net or protection wards. For Neville it explained why his gran had hated the evil old goat so much, for all the pain and suffering he had caused for the Longbottom family and their friends. He did not know what to think about that horrible Potion master who had made his life hell. Only to have the same evil professor recommend him as someone that Harry could trust, and then to sacrifice himself to take two dark lords to hell.

But as this is a Harry Potter adventure story; so it is not over until the dark lords are dead, and one of those dark lords is trying to make a comeback. They could see Harry being pulled towards the mirror and even with Hermione's doing her best, they are both slowly siding across the stone floor. Hermione's screams spurred them into action but what to do?

Neville and Luna jumped up from their hiding spot, where they had watched everything, and ran across to Harry and Hermione. Neville jumped in front of Harry, between them and the mirror to weight them down and stop them from being pulled to certain death. While Luna jumped on top of Neville. Their combined had mass stopped them sliding but the pull on Harry's scar was distorting his face.

Luna's gift of mage sight could see the shadow of dark magic that surrounded the lightning scar on Harry's forehead. In her vision she had used the _purifico et auferes malum anchoris__ incantation_ to free Harry. It was a spell she had done before with her mother to clean the shadows from the magical relics they found on their summer research adventures. For most magic a simple _Finite Incantatem_ would suffice but for dark shadows that last for many years a stronger incantation is needed. She took her wand and ran it over the bleeding bulging red scar as she recited the incantation to release all the dark magical bindings that had been used to firmly anchor a part of Voldemort's soul onto Harry's living life force through the cursed scar.

_**POP!**_

A black mist anchor shaped thing came out the scar and disappeared into the mirror.

_**Harry was free!**_

Luna ran her wand over the scar a second time reciting a healing incantation to stop the bleeding and ease the pain.

The black mist man shaped wraith thing cursed as it fell and then started to climb back up, desperately pulling on other invisible ropes. While Hermione with Neville and Luna stood up and tried to lift up Harry from the floor. He was a little ditsy and still in pain from his scar but Luna's wand waving had numbed the pain a little. They moved Harry back from the mirror to the steps and sat around him with their arms around each other to watch what would happen next.

"Thank you so much Neville and er..." Hermione tried to thank the two who had just saved her Harry from certain death but did not recognize the young witch in the Ravenclaw robes.

"Er. Hi Harry and Hermione. This is my friend Luna Lovegood." Neville said using the lull to introduce his childhood friend. "Luna, this is Hermione Granger and Harry Potter."

Luna waved. "Hi Harry and Hermione. Neville has written all about you in his letters. Was this a DADA assignment?"

"Hi Luna. No, this was another Harry Potter adventure." Hermione said hugging Harry tight as she realized how close she came to losing him, and remembered the image in the mirror of a very handsome Harry holding their very cute baby boy with wild untameable hair.

"The best one so far." Harry said as he was quickly recovering, snuggled into Hermione and remembered that kiss while he went over the memories of his mother's childhood.

"But what are you doing here?" Hermione asked. "Not that we are angry, you saved us. Thank you."

"We came to rescue you two." Neville said. "Luna saw a vision of you fighting a two faced man in front of a mirror."

They turned to Luna.

"It is a gift from my late mother." Luna said shyly as Neville hugged her tightly.

"Thank you Luna. You and Neville have saved us from being pulled into the mirror, and to certain death." Hermione said as Harry softly repeated the word. _**"US?"**_

Hermione turned to face Harry. "Yes Harry. _**US!**_ Where you go, I go and where you jump, I jump."

"But Hermione!"

"No buts! Harry." Hermione said with conviction and kissed him.

"I just can't wait until the library opens so _**we**_ can research all of this."

"Library?" Harry asked as he looked into those hopeful gorgeous honey eyes. "Yes dear. Where you go, I go and where you jump, I jump. I have always found libraries a safe place, full of big dangerous books."

"We will help you Hermione, won't we Neville?"

"Yes dear."

Luna smiled as she got her first 'yes dear' from the shy, courageous boy. Her vision had shown what a handsome cool dude he grows into, and she knew he was a real keeper.

"What was that incantation you used Luna?" Hermione asked.

"Oh a dark shadow remover. My mother and father would go on research adventures whenever they have the time. My father searches for new magical creatures to write about in his magazine the Quibbler. While my mother searches for potion ingredients in magical areas where these creatures live. As they are magical places like the Forbidden Forest they sometimes find magical relics that have left behind. Both my mother and I have the gift to see magic and dark shadows can be very dangerous. So she showed me how to remove them."

"Aren't you a little young for your parents to allow you to cast magic?"

"No, not really. My mother said if I was mature enough to see the dark shadows then I was mature enough to use the magic to remove them. I was nine and it was the last thing she taught me before her accident."

"The Ministry is focus against underage magic by muggleborns because of the Statue of Secrecy." Neville said as he wrapped Luna in a hug as she went a little misty eye. "But most magical families are careful and there is too magic for the Ministry to detect children anyway, and they don't wish to upset the Pure-blood families."

Harry looked to Hermione for an explanation. "The International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy, also known as International Statute of Secrecy, is a law in the wizarding world that was first signed in 1689, and then established officially in 1692. The law was laid down by the International Confederation of Wizards to safeguard the wizarding community from Muggles and hide its presence from the world at large. It was established is the same year as the occurrence of the Salem Witch Trials in colonial Massachusetts USA, in which numerous people were accused of witchcraft, with nineteen hanged."

Harry nodded as Hermione turned to Luna. "I am sorry about your mother Luna."

"Thank you. It is okay, Neville has been closer than a brother to me." Luna said as she snuggled into his hug.

"Oh." Hermione said seeing the bond between them. "So what was attached to Harry's scar?"

"I think it was a piece of that wraith."

Their conversation was interrupted by an ancient diamond diadem flew into the room, bounce off the mirror as whatever was attached to it broke and the dark curse removed. Hermione was able to catch it and said. "This is the lost diadem of Ravenclaw. It has been missing for almost a thousand years. I read about it in Hogwarts a History."

An ancient gold ring with a large triangular black polished stone flew into the room, bounce off the mirror as whatever was attached to it broke and the dark curse was removed. Harry was able to catch it, and Luna looked at it very carefully as her eyes got very big. "That is the resurrection stone, one of the missing Deathly Hallows. Good catch Harry."

Harry looked carefully at the gold ring as the intricate pattern of the decoration on the ring started to move and suddenly Harry could read the writing. He hissed "SSSSMost Ancient Most Noble House of SlytherinSSSS"

"Harry, you are hissing." Hermione said.

"No, that is parseltongue Hermione." Luna said. "Harry can you speak to snakes?"

"What? Er yes. I set a boa constrictor onto my cousin once." Harry said. "The writing on the ring says 'Most Ancient Most Noble House of Slytherin'."

"Oh wow Harry. That is the head of house ring for the house of Salazar Slytherin." Neville said. "To be able to read the writing means that you are the heir of Slytherin."

"Oh great, more fame and wealth. Now Ronald will have another thing to get jealous of and he hates everything Slytherin. That friendship is so over!"

"Voldemort really didn't think much of Ronald. Called him a redhead moron." Neville said. "Next time Ronald tries to get angry, tell him that Voldemort remembered him and said hi."

"And wanted to obliterate him." Harry added, hoping the next dark lord would pick on someone else. "I remembered when we first met. He appeared at my compartment, dirt on his nose, rat in his pocket and a few sandwiches." Harry chuckled at the thought of how much Ronald eats and those sandwiches would not have lasted five minutes. "He asked if he could sit with me because everywhere else is full and pretended not to look at my scar..."

Neville and Hermione looked at each other.

"What?" Harry asked at that look.

"Well Harry." Neville started. "Hermione and I were checking compartments for Trevor and the two compartments before yours and the one after were empty. Our class is the smallest number of first years ever. Ten less than the year before. We were born during the worst part of the war."

"Oh." Harry said sadly. "The first thing he said to me was a lie."

"I am sorry Harry." Hermione said as she wrapped him up in a hug.

"It's not your fault Hermione. Ronald chose to work for the evil old goat. It is just he made me feel sorry for him because he never got anything new, with having five brothers and all. He had Charlie's old wand, Percy's old rat and Bill's old robes but at least they fitted him. With a mother, father, five brothers and a sister that love him and an all you can eat shindig, he never realized how rich he was."

An old black diary with a batted and bruised house-elf attached flew into the room and bounced off the mirror. Then a gold cup and gold locket with a green jewel 'S' on the front with an old house-elf attached flew into the room and bounced off the mirror. The wind vortex blew them over to where they were sitting. Luna gathered the two house-elves and hugged them.

Then a large snake flew into the chamber and went straight into the mirror. The black wraith caught it and seems to be able to hold it up until a final scream as all these ripped pieces of blood red skin with a dark snake mark on them flew into the chamber and into the mirror.

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

The black mist man shaped form of Wraithmort held the nearest thing he had to a true friend and familiar, his faithful snake Nagini. All his plans had come to this; a date with a snake in a lava pit that reeked of sulphur and burnt barbequed evil old goat. Now, he had finally been tested, and found wanting. It appears that all of his experiments had miscarried. His journey down the path that leads to immortality was at an end and his goal - to conquer death had failed. He would not be coming back this time.

Wraithmort looked through the mirror, which was a portal back to the chamber, he looked as he had done all his life, from the outside looking in. The unloved motherless orphan boy with a special gift that could hurt, terrorize, maim and kill anyone before they could get close enough to hurt him. He knew all too well that it was true that you're a nobody until somebody loves you. Yes some feared him but no one ever loved him. He never was one of them or with them or even next to them, always a nobody separate to them, and on the outside looking in to watch their joy, happiness and love. There was the boy, his nemesis, in the loving arms of the-know-it-all for whom he had thrown away all that power and riches of the stone, _**and chose love**__**.**_ With them was the Longbottom boy in the arms of a cute blonde witch with silver eyes. They were surrounded by a golden glow, and Wraithmort finally saw the power-he-knew-not.

_**The power of friendship and bravery and Love.**_

The power-he-knew-not was not just in the boy but he was the catalyst to bring out the power of love in those who loved him.

Just as the boy was the catalyst that brought out the power of love that was in his mother who loved him with all of her heart, mind and soul.

Wraithmort shed a ghostly tear as he floated slowly down, he realized that he was now totally alone, and no one will ever love him. He had been the catalyst to bring out the fear in his victims, with the hatred and worse evil attributes of his minions.

May be if he had listened to the hat all those years ago, and accepted its advice. _But h__e had chosen Slytherin_ because that poncey Abraxas Malfoy had told him on the Hogwarts Express that there's not a wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin, and he wanted to be the baddest darkest wizard of them all. He still wanted to go there even though the hat had warned him that Slytherin was exactly where the old fool wanted him. Things could have been very different in Hufflepuff!

It was by being in the House of the Green and Silver that he was able to discover that he was the heir of Salazar Slytherin, because he could read the strange writing on the wall of the common room. Everything he needed to know about Hogwarts, the Room of Requirements, the Chamber of Secrets and the Basilisk was written there in parseltongue with so much more. Even find the books on Horcruxes and how to remove them. Though there was enough information there for him work out how to make a Horcrux after some practice on muggles and muggleborns. He had ignored the information that Salazar Slytherin was a muggleborn wizard, as that was against the Pure-blood Agenda that he had hijacked and used for his own modus operandi for world domination.

Wraithmort saw the irony when reading the boy's mind. If Potter had listened to the advice of the hat and gone to Slytherin, he would have found the strange writing on the wall of the common room, just as he had done. But the boy would have used all of that knowledge in those ancient books, with the power and authority he needed to destroy the Pure-blood Agenda, exposed him as a half blood dark fraud, and the Head-monster for the dark lord he was, plus save the Magical World. All written in parseltongue. You _could be great, you know, it's all here in your head, and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that._ But the old fool had manipulated and used that moron to tricked the boy into not choosing Slytherin.

Quirrellmort had heard the boy whispering 'not Slytherin' during his sorting. The Hat's next best option for someone brave enough to try and change their stars was Gryffindor. While he himself had demanded Slytherin, and ignored the hat and all of its reasons for him to go to Hufflepuff. But at least the boy found his one true friend and soul mate that loved him in Gryffindor. He had heard her discussing with the hat, and trying to change her stars.

It matter not now, it was too late him, and too many had died. The boy had found somebody to love, and triumph over two dark lords against impossible odds by following his heart and choosing to love.

If only Tom Riddle had just found somebody to love in the canary yellow and black house of the badger that values hard work, patience, justice, and loyalty. It could have been so much better.

Or far better looking loyal minions.

Those redhead witches of the house of Bones were hot!

Sadly all that Tom Marvolo Riddle Dumbledore aka Lord Voldemort aka Wraithmort aka Quirrellmort, had to look forward to was joining his dead beat Machiavellian manipulative evil dark lord father on the next great adventure and give him hell for all eternity. Asking the ultimate travel questions. Are we there yet? I need to go to the bathroom? And I think I am about to be sick?

Wraithmort looked at his most worthy nemesis for the last time. He put his dark misty hand over his dark heart and saluted him. Anyone who could defeat the dark lord Dumbledore and encourage Severus Snape to do the right thing would be unvanquishable.

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

The black mist man shaped wraith thing seemed to be sadly looking back at them through the mirror for a moment before he put his dark misty hand over his dark heart and saluted them. Then the black mist man and the snake floated down into the lava pit. Disappearing in a flash of fire.

"Wow, Harry." Luna said in surprise. "Wraithmort saluted you as the victor. You have won!"

"Not just me Luna but all of us played a part. Even Professor Severus Snape." Harry said as Hermione gave him a celebratory kiss. "Great things happen Luna, because a lot of little people chose to do a lot of little things together."

"Like sending a tickling hex at the Headmaster so he would be too distracted to think and find another way to escape?" Neville asked while looking at an innocent Luna.

"The Headmaster laughing was you?" Asked a very surprised Hermione as she and Harry chuckled and looked at the innocent Luna.

"Well he should be happy, he was going on his next great adventure." Luna said with a smile. "I love going on adventures with my father, and my mother would cast the tickling charm on me when I was sad. But he was not smiling and had made Harry to cry."

"Thank you Luna. That was brilliant thinking outside of the box." Harry said and smiled to Luna as she mouthed the words, _'What box?' _As she looked around for a box. "I could not believe he would ask."

"Yeah, I was going to go all Gryffindor, and hit him when Luna stopped me, and cast the tickling hex." Neville said.

"It was the simplest solution to cheer him up and I didn't want you to get sucked into the mirror as well. Where you go I go and I didn't want to spend all eternity with the smell of burnt barbecue old goat." Luna smiled, lightening up Neville's face.

"I love you too Luna." Neville grinned.

"Thank you Luna. You really are a brilliant witch." Harry said. "Now as I was saying, the little people like you Luna doing little thing together, and sometimes they do the right thing at the right time for the right reason; say for love. They can get very lucky, and amazing things can happen."

"Harry Potter lucky?" Luna asked with a Cheshire grin as she snuggled into Neville.

"Sometimes." Harry said as he tightens his hug around Hermione thinking how lucky he was to have her in his life and how much he loved her.

"Can you forgive Snape?" Neville asked.

"I can start to Neville. Yes. His betrayal affected both our families, and his behaviour to us was atrocious but his sacrifice has saved our future." Harry said as Neville nodded in agreement. "And it looks like he has gone off on his own next great adventure."

"Probably come back as a bat." Neville said.

"Or a bat wizard." Luna suggested as that would be a new strange weird magical creature for the Quibbler.

"Or a caped crusader?" Harry added, thinking of Dudley's comics.

Neville gave Luna a puzzled look. "A caped crusader is a muggle children's comic book character. They use Nargles and Wrackspurts to confuse and put down the bad guys."

Neville just nodded a thank you to Luna.

"I just hope he will be happy." Hermione said as she turned to Luna unable to hold her curiosity any longer. "Luna what are those unconscious creatures in your arms."

"Oh these are house-elves. They were injured on their trip with those things." Luna said pointing to the book and locket with her foot. "They are magical creatures who need to bond with wizards and witches to share their magic, and can be very loyal friends."

"I have two that help me in my glasshouses at the manor, with all of my plants, and they take care of it while I at Hogwarts." Neville said.

"My Venus was lost trying to protect my mother in the accident." Luna said sadly. "She was very loyal and my best friend growing up."

"Though some families treat them as vermin." Neville said in disgust.

"I am sharing my magic with them to help them heal. But as they came with those things, they would now belong to Harry."

"Me?"

"Yes Harry." Neville said. "Because you defeated Voldemort, by right of conquest, you have a claim to everything Voldemort had."

"But it was Professor Snape who defeated the dark lords."

"And who did he do it for?"

"My mother."

"And you Harry." Hermione added.

"And you accepted that claim by putting that Head of House ring on your finger." Luna added with a smile. "Lord Slytherin."

Harry looked at his hand not realizing he had put the ring on. "What does that mean?"

"It means that you have changed everything Harry." Luna said with a smile as she passed the young house-elf to Hermione and the older one to Harry to heal. "It is a whole new world!"

Harry and Hermione with Neville and Luna sat and watched, expecting the mirror to stabilize but it didn't. The whirlpool and spiraling winds intensified, getting louder and stronger until the mirror itself started to bend and distort. Folding and collapsing in on itself as it too was sucked into the red glowing whirlpool.

_**POP!**_

And a flash of red light the mirror disappeared into the whirlpool as the red glowing ball shrank into a glowing blood red stone which floated down to the floor.

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

Meanwhile in the Gryffindor first year boys dorm, in a dark bed protected by the drawn silenced curtains, a rat woke up with a scream as its magic was ripped from its paw. No longer magical, the Animagus charm failed, and the rat returned into its human form. Unfortunately the redhead boy's chest that the rat had been sleeping on as per Dumbledore's orders, was far too close to the hard stone wall of the castle, and the transformation to human had rammed his head into the wall knocking him unconscious. Blood dripped down from the wound on his left arm where his dark mark had been ripped off with his magic. The redhead boy underneath was woken by the sudden crushing weight of the unconscious fat old squib lying on his chest. In terror he screamed for help but no one heard him through the silencing charms on the curtains so the other boys could finally get a good night sleep.

All over Great Britain that night, those who had the cursed dark mark woke as it and their magic was ripped from them. Then one by one the new squibs succumbed to the diseases and dark curses they had collected over their miserable lives. The same diseases and dark curses that their magic had been protecting them from. It did not matter if they made been under the influence of the unforgivable Imperius curse or not. It was better to die that way than to have their bigoted Pure-blood families discover that they were now squibs, or have the corrupt greedy Ministry try and seize their family fortune. Their families would in for a shock when they went to Gringotts to discover that their Wizengamot seats, fortunes and families were now vassals of their new Liege lord, Lord Slytherin.

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

Thank you for reading.


	6. How did it come to this?

Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!

I don't own the Harry Potter verse. Just playing.

17/08/14

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

Chapter 6 How did it come to this?

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

Meanwhile the surprised awesome foursome were wondering what could possibly happen next on this very Harry Potter Adventure. It was Neville who broke the silence.

"Well that was more exciting than me trying to warn you about Malfoy while you were sneaking a baby dragon up the tallest tower at midnight." Neville said. "I just wonder how many points it will cost Gryffindor for losing the Headmaster?"

"I don't know Neville, we haven't been caught yet." Harry said wondering how many points McGonagall would take. "But we only lost fifty points each for a dragon. So what is a Headmaster worth, even a bad one?"

"Well you with vanquishing Quirrell and Voldemort plus redeeming Professor Snape, that should at least be triple bonus points." Neville speculated. "We might just win the house cup if anyone would believe us."

Harry shook his head in disbelief, and then wondered. There was no way anyone could possibly believe what just happened.

"Neville, we were in the Forbidden third floor corridor. What could we possibly say to professor McGonagall? _Excuse me professor but something funny has happened to the Headmaster. __He was evil dark lord and got sucked into a mirror.__" _

"It would be okay if you said that Quirrellmort and Snape were sucked in too."

"Do you think anyone would notice if we just went back to bed and acted as if nothing had happened?"

"No we must tell the Headmaster." Hermione said before she realized. "Oh."

"Someone may not notice that the Headmaster was missing as he is away a lot." Neville said wondering at the possibilities. "But the professors would be noticed when they don't show up for their classes."

"Ronald!" Harry said as he remembered that he had come on their adventure tonight. "Ronald will be telling everyone at breakfast of the great chess match that he had won for the Boy-Who-Lived."

"And also about Fluffy the Cerberus and the flying keys." Hermione said as she realized how hard it would be to avoid the fallout of tonight.

"Even if we could obliviate him, the missing professors would still be a dead giveaway." Added Harry while Hermione gave him a look that said no to the obliviation.

Hermione turned to Neville and Luna. "Did you guys see Ronald on your way here?"

Neville just shrugged his shoulders as he had forgotten about Ronald. "No, the Cerberus, troll and Potion challenges were gone, and the flying keys were stuck in the old oak door while the chess pieces were still smashed, and did not reset as we passed."

While Luna remembered. "I saw Ronald asleep in his bed with that disgusting rat perched on top. I closed and silenced the curtains around his bed to suppress his loud snoring. How did you boys get any sleep?"

"We didn't it was Ronald, we just put up with the noise, and you are telling us now, that there are charms to silence that chainsaw?" Harry said as he looked to Hermione.

"Er yes, in the back of the Potions Textbook there is a chapter on are various silencing charms to quieten the room or to silence a noisy bubbling brewing potion, especially when you really need to focus on brewing some particular sensitive potions." Hermione said and then realized that because of Professor Snape and Ronald, Harry and Neville would have never read the potion textbook. "Harry I am so sorry. I saw that you and Neville were always so tired in the morning and never thought."

"It is not your fault Hermione; we boys just felt that we had to put up with Ronald." Neville said. "With all the noise and lack of sleep."

"That would be the effect of the loyalty runes on Ronald's bed." Luna said. "I removed the runes after I silenced the curtains. Those loyalty runes would have compelled you to tolerate Ronald's natural obnoxiousness, eating habits, snoring or worse."

"Oh." Harry said as he thought about how far the Headmaster had interfered with him and Neville and what his reaction to Ronald behaviour will be now. "Thank you for removing those runes Luna."

"You're welcome Harry." Luna smiled and then added. "Mummy would brew the gas and wind potion in the kitchen to embarrass my dad. It was very funny."

"Gas and wind potion?" Harry asked but Hermione's face just went red.

While Luna giggled and Neville stage whispered. "The burp and fart potion."

"Oh." Harry said and started to laugh at the thought of brewing that in the kitchen when uncle Vernon's sister visited. Aunt Petunia would be horrified while Dudley and Ripper the dog would be trying to match burp for burp and...

Hermione looked at Luna and rolled her eyes as to say, what is it with boys, burps and farts. Then she saw Luna's smirk and twinkling eyes, and realized that she had told the story to lighten the mood a little.

Luna brought them back to their current situation.

"But Harry, you should not be afraid. Vanquishing dark lords is good news."

"Except when one of those dark lords was Albus Dumbledore." Hermione said. "He will be never be truly gone while anyone is loyal to him, and so many were very loyal to him. Sadly it was all loyalty runes, smoke and mirrors."

"And potions. Remember what Severus said about potions in our first class." Neville said.

"That's right, the subtle science and exact art of potionmaking, the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses. Professor Snape said he could teach us how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even put a stopper death." Hermione dramatically recited, but she left out the part about dunderheads.

"Anyone would think Severus was in love with his cauldron." Harry threw in.

"Snape in love!" Neville said shaking his head. "This is just getting worse."

"So what do we do now?" Asked Harry.

"Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it." Luna read.

"What?"

"Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it. It's written on the wall." Luna read and pointed. "I am sorry that I was not paying attention to your conversation as it took me a little while to work out what the message said."

They turned to look where Luna was pointing and there on the wall was very cool looking message written with flaming letters of chicken scratch. It was incredibly messy handwriting as though it had been written by a very large flaming chicken, and was nearly impossible to read but they make out the words after Luna had told them what she thought the words were. Though Harry could read it clearly and agreed with Luna's interpretation.

_**'**__**Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it.**__**'**_

"Oh." Harry said as they looked to him, while Hermione could kick herself as she remembered that the message in the appendix of Hogwarts a History. But she had been always able to work things out before she needed to ask for help.

"Er help, please?" Harry said hopefully in a small voice.

With a cry, Fawkes flamed into the chamber with Fergus the sorting hat. He dropped the hat on the floor in front of them, and landed next to it.

"Well, well, well, Mr. Harry I-have-to-do-it-all-by-myself Potter. Thought you would never ask for a little help, even after another exciting adventure tonight." Fergus said as Harry shyly nodded. "And Miss. Hermione Granger, that was some brilliant application of logic. Rowena Ravenclaw and Helga Hufflepuff would be so proud of you. You really are the cleverest witch of your age. Mr. Neville Longbottom and Miss. Luna Lovegood, brilliant timing and quick action. We saw you put yourselves between Mr. Potter and the mirror. That showed a lot of courage and bravery. Your parents would be very proud."

Hermione blushed at the complement as Harry rewarded her with a hug. While Luna hugged the shy Neville. He was not used to positive praise from an adult.

Fergus continued. "Well on behalf of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, we would like to thank you for vanquishing two dark lords, and the worse pathetic DADA and Potion professors Hogwarts has ever had. Now that the dark head-monster is gone, the castle can stamp out the rivalry, racism, bullying and hatred, and get back to giving students the foremost world-class education that they deserve, helping them to become the very best witches and wizards they can be."

"What, you saw that?" Neville asked while Harry was lost in the thought that someone had witnessed it. While Hermione and Luna were dreaming of a foremost world-class education in a school without any rivalry, racism, bullying and hatred.

"Yes! What happened down in the chamber between Harry and Professor Quirrell is a complete secret, so, naturally, the whole school knows." Fergus said with a smirk.

Fergus shared the secret. "Harry, the Headmaster had complete control over the flow of information within Hogwarts. Standard protocol would have the school to only know what the Headmaster wanted them to know, and by telling you that _the whole school knows_, he knew it would save you from having to feel like you had to tell them your _**whole **__**complete **__**story,**_ and then have them ask too many of the wrong questions."

Fergus continued. "Harry, Machiavellian manipulators control information and secrets, and depend on the pride of their victims to think that they know something more than anyone else so that they will keep their secrets or be too ashamed to tell. For example; Hermione never wrote home about the Very Painful Death / Forbidden Third Floor Corridor / Philosopher's Stone Quest Challenge as her parents would have withdrawn her from Hogwarts. So it became a school secret, and when it became obvious just how dangerous the school actually was, she was too ashamed to write, and just hoped you didn't die."

Harry looked at Hermione and saw it was true. He hugged her because he had done the same thing over Durzkaban. He had been too ashamed to tell anyone. But Hermione wanted to know how the hat knew that, and asked with a quizzical look.

Fergus sighed. "The Head-monster had been checking and censoring all mail, in coming and out going from the castle. He doesn't teach anymore, and needed a hobby to keep busy as he has always been a very nosy, meddlesome, interfering, busybody sticky beak."

"Oh!"

Fergus continue. "So when the old goat obliviated Harry, Hermione, Ronald and Neville over the troll incident. Ronald was happy to tell everyone in the Gryffindor tower how he saved the boy-who-lived, and with your new memories, you couldn't challenge him. But Ronald had been so obnoxious that no one wanted to listen to or believe him anyway. Minerva very rarely went there and Snape could not care less about Gryffindor. So the obliviation would only be exposed if Ronald told McGonagall or Snape, and that would never happen."

With the surprised looks, Fergus went on to explain the secret behind the magic of how they had watched the Challenge.

"The Headmaster has a large enchanted portrait in his office which allows him to view from any portrait in the castle. He and Snape had been eating his lemon drops while watching your progress on the Philosopher's Stone Quest Challenge from the moment you got dressed to leave your dorm tonight."

"Any portrait?" A shocked Hermione asked.

"Well actually anything with a portrait frame." Fergus said making it worse.

"Like the framed mirrors in the showers?" Neville asked and Fergus nodded. "Eww!"

"Sadly yes." Fergus said. "The Headmaster wanted to know every bit of information, no matter how embarrassing, so he could use it to control and manipulate everyone for the rest of their lives. The sad part was the surveillance was added to protect Dumbledore when he was student here, as some bullies did not like his lifestyle choices, and he expanded the surveillance to cover the whole castle when he became Headmaster."

Hermione, Neville and Luna were shocked into silence at the level of intrusion into their privacy. The only thing worse would be for the Headmaster to invade and read their minds, and ransacked their memories all the time. They were beginning to see just how evil the Head-monster was.

"But I killed them." Harry said, finding his voice and bring their attention back to the three evil men and wraith, who had just died in the mirror with only one redeemed. "I threw the stone back into the mirror to get rid of it, and they died."

"You threw the stone into the mirror to save Hermione, and to stop Voldemort from coming back, Harry. You ran away from the mirror, and they ran to the mirror to get the stone back for their own agendas. You did not kill them; they had already killed themselves with the temptations of the dark arts. They have been dead men walking for many years. They just needed a little push and Snape jumped to redeem himself. So a thousand points each to Gryffindor for getting the Potion professor to do the right thing. Won't Minnie be happy in the morning, and your detention until you graduate has been canceled."

Fergus had got through to Harry, that it was not his fault, and it never was. Hermione and Neville hugged him while Luna snuggled him. She had the same issue over her dear beloved mother's death.

They were pleased to be awarded three thousand points as it would make up for all the points they had lost over Hagrid's baby dragon plus all the points Professor Snape had taken from Gryffindor. Harry smiled at the thought that the detention had been canceled.

"Good, now Harry, if you would lie down on the floor, we will see what Fawkes can do about that cursed scar of yours."

Hermione held Harry's hand as he lay down on the floor, and Fawkes came over, tilted his head, and cried tears onto Harry's scar. The tears hissed and smoked as they landed and slowly the angry scar that had been a bane to his existence, closed, healed and faded away.

"Of course." Hermione cried. "Phoenix's tears have healing powers. I read about Fawkes in Hogwarts a history."

"Well read Hermione." Fergus said.

"But the killing curse is painless and leaves no mark, so how did Harry end up with a cursed scar, and a piece of Voldemort's soul anchored to it?"

"That is a sad dark tale of ambition, greed, corruption, and absolute power, my dear Hermione." Fergus said as Harry moved to sit next to Hermione and wrap his arms around her. "By Halloween 1981, the dark lord Dumbledore was this close to achieving his goal of ascending to become Master of Death. In one bold move he had planned to eliminate what was left the Potter line, and through his son unite the Deathly Hallows. He had the Elder wand, the Cloak of Invisibility and a blood connection to the family that held the Resurrection Stone; they were the last heirs of Cadmus Peverell."

Harry and Hermione were stunned at that piece of information. _'Dumbledore wanted to destroy the Potters so he could become something called Master of Death'_ they thought.

"Dumbledore believed in the Deathly Hallows?" Luna asked.

"Yes Luna." Fergus said and Luna with Neville, told them the tale of the three brothers and the gifts they were given by Death. The Elder wand, the Resurrection Stone and the Cloak of Invisibility.

"But what is a _Master of Death_" Hermione asked.

"Well no one actually knows for sure, but Dumbledore assumed it would give him all power and immortality, or at least some control over the dead, or even just another cool fancy title. _Master of Death!__"_ Fergus said as Harry looked like he would cry as Hermione hugged him tight, he had suffered so much for one monster's greed and ambition.

Fergus continued the tale. "It was through Dumbledore's arrogance that I found out about his schemes. You see he need an equal to discuss his plans with, and as he believes only he can correctly lead everyone into the future of his Greater Good, and their future destinies. So he had made his own magical portrait. Then he would spend hours discussing with his portrait late into the night in his office, while Fawkes, the portraits of past Headmasters and Headmistresses and I listen in. It was so boring, always for the Greater Good this and for the Greater Good that. But the only one benefiting was Dumbledore while others were dying as the Magical World burnt. Sadly we were forbidden by wards to tell anyone, while Dumbledore was the Head-monster."

Harry, Hermione, Neville and Luna just hugged each other as their families had suffered so much.

Fergus continued the sad tale. Even the somewhat funny times were very dark humor. "There was a time, once when Dumbledore had a huge argument with his portrait, and they refused to talk for months. It was over what to do with the Malfoys and the other Death Eaters and their families. His portrait wanted him to arrest the Death Eaters, and send them to Azkaban to stop them from slaughtering so many innocents for fun, while Dumbledore wanted to set an example of forgiveness. It really killed the mood in the Headmaster's Office, let me tell you. Dumbledore broke the dead lock by creating a second more improved magical portrait that agreed with him for the Greater Good, and he won that argument with a two thirds majority."

"No wonder the Headmaster's ears was full of Wrackspurts." Luna said as Hermione and Harry nodded in agreement. They did not know what a Wrackspurt was but agreed that having a head that was wracked and spurting would make the Headmaster totally insane.

Fergus continued the tale. "It all began when Dumbledore and his lover Gellert Grindelwald, (the same future dark lord that he had defeated), had started to search for the Deathly Hallows after he had left Hogwarts in 1898. They had a falling out over who would be _Master of Death_ first, and about how to achieve world domination. Grindelwald wanted to use armed force, and went on to be the dark lord who started World War two. While Dumbledore wanted to use Hogwarts, and destroy the educational system to dumb down the unwashed masses, and destroy their hopes and dreams. As sheeple without hopes and dreams are easier to manipulate."

"Dumbledore and Grindelwald were lovers?" Neville asked as Fergus nodded.

"Daddy said the Headmaster created the rumours of the Rotfang Conspiracy to cover his uneducational agenda." Luna added.

"Yes, that was the cover for his classified secret Brainstorm Conspiracy." Fergus agreed.

"Dumbledore had systematically lowered the educational standards, so Owls became Newts, Newts became Masters. The Acceptable past mark was lowered to 35 out of 100 and hidden behind confusing meaningless grades. You get a Troll grade just for finding the classroom, with a Dreadful (D) grade for 10 out of 100 and Poor (P) grade for 20 out of 100."

"So that is how I got a hundred and twelve percent on the Charms exam."

"Exactly. Then he brought down the quality of the teachers with the pathetic Professors for Potions, DADA, History and Divination. Hogwarts was churning out barely literate functioning sheeple who could not think for themselves and would worship Dumbledore."

"Destroying the educational system is so evil." Hermione said as Harry, Neville and Luna agreed.

Fergus continued. "After Dumbledore and Grindelwald's first fight in 1898, which ended with the murder of his sister, Ariana, Dumbledore continue to search for the Deathly Hallows alone. He found the Cloak of Invisibility with your great, grandfather, Theodore Potter, when he brought it with him to Hogwarts. He discovered the Elder Wand with Gregorovitch – the European wand maker, on a trip to see Gellert, and he observed the Resurrection Stone had been made into the Family ring of Salazar Slytherin from the founder's portrait, and tracked it down to Marvolo Gaunt, Slytherin's last descendants. Dumbledore then _'borrowed'_ the cloak, wand and ring but no matter what he did, he could not unite them, and become Master of Death as he was not the true magical heir."

Fergus saw he had their undivided attention. "Dumbledore knew that the cloak did not work for him as well as it did for Theodore Potter. So Dumbledore assumed that a blood connection to the family was needed, and as the Potters only had a son, your grandfather. While tempting, he decided to use Marvolo Gaunt's daughter Merope to get his blood connection to the family of the second brother, that held the Resurrection Stone. He subverted the Elder wand so it could not be used to hurt him and marked each of the hallows with a summonsing rune so he could recall them at any time. Then he returned the Deathly Hallows to their then current rightful owners. He made his plans to win the Elder wand from Grindelwald, after he had given him a hint as to who he could steal it from, Gregorovitch. Then have his future son start another blood war as a cover while he eliminated the Potter line to gain control of the cloak with his son being the last heir of the Peverell brothers."

"You can subvert a wand?" Hermione asked.

"Yes. You can do some amazing things with runes. If you look carefully at the handle of the Elder Wand you will see some tiny runes which choked the wand and reduced the amount of magic that can be focused at the Head-monster." Fergus said. "He put the same runes on your wand Harry and Voldemort's wand."

Harry looked carefully and could see the same strange marking on both the Elder Wand and his own Phoenix core wand and remembered what Ollivander had said about a brother wand belonging to Voldemort.

"So Harry or Voldemort could never defeat Dumbledore with their own wands?" Hermione asked.

"Exactly. Can't be the greatest wizard if his puppet dark lord or a boy could defeat you."

"Dumbledore had it all worked out."

"Yes. By Halloween 1981, he had already _borrowed_ the cloak from your father, and with the Headmaster being the current rightful owner of the Elder wand, he only needed to summon the Resurrection Stone to ascend to become the all powerful Master of Death. Once you were dead. Then he could correct and forgive his son, and guide him away from the dark to the light of the Greater Good, plus I think there was some plan for World Domination in there."

"But that is insane." Hermione cried.

"That's the Greater Good." Fergus replied. "But you, Harry, you and your mother ruin it for him."

"How?"

"You lived."

"What?"

"You lived, Harry. Your mother Lily had found some old Peverell family magic in the Potter Grimoire, that needed her willing sacrifice to protect you with love. Voldemort's killing curse hit the old family magic on Lily, taking her willing sacrifice, and rebounded back at him to destroy his body, and would have killed him if not for his own protections from death."

"How would you know that Fergus?" Hermione asked.

"Dumbledore was there to watch, hiding from death under James Potter's visibility cloak." Fergus said. "It was Halloween, the night of the Dead. It was supposed to be the night of his Ascension to Master of Death. He had gone along to watch and left nothing to chance."

"OH." Hermione said.

"He watched my parents be murdered?"

"Yes Harry." Fergus said sadly. "He showed no remorse for setting your family up to be murdered, and worse he bitterly complained about your failure to die to his portrait."

"Didn't anyone notice that the Headmaster was insane?"

"Oh no, he was the Great Albus Dumbledore, he was not insane. Just a little eccentric sociopath with a hint of megalomania. Your typical garden variety dark lord."

Harry looked to Hermione for a translation. "Dumbledore had a narcissistic personality disorder. It is a psychopathological condition characterized by delusional fantasies of power, relevance, omnipotence, and by inflated self-esteem with antisocial personality disorder that is characterized by a pervasive pattern of disregard for, or violation of, the rights of others. There may be an impoverished moral sense or conscience and a history of crime, legal problems, and impulsive and aggressive behavior."

"Oh."

The children sadly shook their heads as Fergus continued. "While at Hogwarts, Tom had personal training sessions with Dumbledore, and he believed that he had convinced Tom not to make a dark evil thing called a Horcrux. But the Headmaster never assumed his own son could hate him so much, and it seems Tom had made more than one Horcrux. Fortunately the dark lord had made the mistake of not anchoring any of his protections to a living life force. So to save his son, Dumbledore had to anchor Tom's soul to your living life force, and had to use a dark curse scar to penetrate the protection of love that your mother's sacrifice had placed on you Harry."

"That was so evil to tie Harry and Voldemort together." Hermione said as she wrapped Harry in a tight hug. "But why Harry?"

"Because Harry was the only other living soul left in that collapsed building."

"Other than Dumbledore himself." Neville pointed out.

"And Dumbledore made it certain that Voldemort would try and kill Harry." Luna added. "Which he would do once he remade his body with the Philosopher's Stone and got his own life force back."

"Then those other things." Hermione pointed to the diadem, the ancient gold ring with a large triangular black stone, the old black diary, the gold cup, gold locket with a green jewel 'S' on the front. "And that large snake. They were all Horcruxes?"

"Yes Hermione and they were all connected together with those blood covered pieces of skin that were the dark marks he had used to bond to his slave follower's magical core." Fergus said. "They are all squibs now."

"So Dumbledore never bother to go and find Voldemort's Horcruxes, and destroy them?" Neville asked.

"No. There was no need to; he could summons the ring with the Resurrection Stone at anytime. Once Dumbledore became Master of Death, he assumed his son would have to obey him, and turn from the dark path." Fergus replied.

"The Headmaster was completely and utterly insane." Said Harry, Hermione, Neville and Luna together.

"Sadly yes, and he was brilliant enough to almost succeed." Fergus sadly said. "But it would not be for long. The castle detected a very dark curse on that ring tonight. The curse was removed when it hit the mirror. Voldemort must have known what the stone was, and put a very dark flesh burning curse on it. If Dumbledore had summonsed the ring, and put it on as the compulsions forced him. Then that curse would have blackened and burnt his hand until his whole body was consumed, and he died a very painful death."

"Voldemort really did hate Dumbledore to do that."

"Yes, nothing would have saved the Headmaster. He would have abandoned the Wizarding World to burn as he was the only one great enough to control the greater good, and would taken all of his secrets to the grave. Leaving Voldemort and the Pure-blood supremacist bigots to destroy everything."

"Even the school?"

"Especially Hogwarts. It would represent everything Voldemort hated about Dumbledore and with the Head-monster dead, Hogwarts would be the target of his wraith. Student killing students." Fergus said sadly. "If Dumbledore could not live to see his greater good, no one else was worthy to either."

"But that is insane." Hermione said as they contemplated the magical world Dumbledore's Greater Good had created. "That would be so bad. Even with the hatred of Malfoy it was obvious that there was fierce hostility between Slytherin and Gryffindor, combined with the hatred and bigotry of the Pure-blood Supremacist to half blood and muggleborn. If Dumbledore had died before Voldemort's defeat, the magical world would be turned into hell. The Voldemort and the Pure-blood Supremacist bigots would be slaughtering every single muggleborn they could find."

"Yes. It was very bad last time but a second Blood War without Dumbledore would be an utter disaster." Fergus said. "But you Harry have given us a third chance to get it right."

Harry gave Hermione a brilliant smile and a hug to calm her.

"And Dumbledore was insane enough to let a second Blood War happen." Neville stated.

"Yes. He was. Dumbledore allowed all the rivalry, hatred and bigotry that divided the magical world to start in the school, and put all the students in danger by bringing that stone into the school while hiring Quirrellmort to teach the Dark Arts to children." Fergus said. "But Dumbledore insanity was focused on you Harry. He never forgave you for living and delaying his plans. So he really punished you every time you did not die. Furthermore he could not allow you to be loved and was behind everything that happened to you in Durzkaban. Then setting you up to meet Voldemort this year, and if you survived, he was going to punish you by sending you straight back to Durzkaban for the summer, with some story about it being the safest place for you."

"No way Harry. You are staying with me." Hermione said as she looking into his eyes and Harry smiled as he felt the warmth of the love he could see in Hermione's heart.

Neville and Luna hugged each other tight as they had lost so much family to Voldemort and now to have found out it was all Dumbledore's fault.

"So with Voldemort and Dumbledore both dead, does that mean that Harry is the true magical heir of the Deathly Hallows?" Neville wondered.

"Does this mean that Hermione is now the chief mistress of the Master of Death?" Luna asked as Hermione smiled at the possibilities and Harry wondered what he had done wrong.

"I suppose so." Fergus wondered as Luna had a mischievous smile.

"What happen to the Headmaster's portraits?" Neville asked, thinking of what his Gran would want to do with them.

"Well the second one is in the Headmaster's office but his first portrait is taking pride of place behind the door of the water closet as it always looks constipated." Fergus laughed.

"Ah, Fergus?" Hermione asked. "Should the stone be doing that?"

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

Thank you for reading.


	7. The Philosopher's Stone

Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!

I don't own the Harry Potter verse. Just playing.

24/08/14

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

Chapter 7 The Philosopher's Stone.

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

"Ah, Fergus?" Hermione asked. "Should the stone be doing that?"

"Oh dear!"

Hermione had noticed that the glowing blood red Philosopher's stone had changed colour to almost white and had started to vibrate, clattering on the stone floor and radiating out sparks. She could feel the heat and magic that was coming from it. She looked to Luna and saw the fear in her eyes as she could see the magic swirling around the stone.

Hermione question had brought Harry's attention to the stone, and he could see the fear in Hermione and Luna. He quickly passed the house-elf he had been holding to Luna, and ran over to the stone. He scooped it up in his hand, and went to throw it again when Fergus cried out.

"Don't throw it Harry! There is no where to throw it to!"

Hermione wanted to scream out 'NO' to stop Harry from touching the stone but Fergus' warning stopped her. She watched as Harry did his Harry thing (saving others), and the violent reaction of the stone calmed in Harry's hand as she could feel the love that Harry radiated for her. She watched as the love of his mother's sacrifice protected his hands from the white heat of the stone.

"Good Harry! Whatever you are doing, keep doing! It's working! You have given us a chance! Quickly gather everything! Fawkes please take us to the Ward Stone of Hogwarts!" Fergus cried.

Fawkes jumped up to grab the sorting hat with one talon, as Hermione summons all the things that were on the floor with her wand, as Luna went to hug Hermione, as Harry ran back to them with the stone, as Neville wrapped his arms around Harry, Hermione and Luna, as Fawkes circled to grabbed Neville's shoulder, and flamed them all to the Ward Chamber of Hogwarts, deep under the foundations of the castle.

Harry of course, landed in a heap still holding the stone in his hands, while Hermione, Luna and Neville landed gracefully. Neville helped Harry to his feet as Fergus cried out.

"Quick Harry! Place the stone into the slot at the center of the Ward Stone of Hogwarts!"

In the center of the ward chamber was a giant black diamond ward stone carved into the shape of the Hogwarts crest. Harry ran to it, and found the slot in the center of the 'H' of the crest of Hogwarts and places the stone there in. Immediately the giant black diamond started to hum, and slowly change colour as it absorbed the magic from the stone.

Harry returned to Hermione as she dropped all the things she had brought with her. She quickly checked Harry's hands. All his calluses and scars on his hands from all the chores and gardening he had done at Durzkaban had been burnt off but she could feel the love protecting Harry's hands. Fawkes came and cried onto his hands as Hermione helped to rub the Phoenix tears all over his hands. Soon they were healed as smooth as a baby's bottom.

"Well done Harry! Only you could have done that!" Fergus cheered. "How are your hands?"

Harry looked as his hands. They had never been this soft and smooth. He gently rubbed Hermione's cheek. "Never better, Fergus."

Luna past the old house-elf back to Harry, as they gathered for a group hug and sat still to calm down. They watched as the ward stone absorbed the magic, and slowly started to glow white as the magic from the Philosopher's stone started to boil inside the black diamond.

Then the magic boiled over like a geyser, and splashed onto stone floor around the diamond ward stone. The wave of pure magic started to wash over the stone floor like a wave on a flat beach with an incoming tide. Each successive wave of magic washed a little more before it drained into the floor. As the magical washed stones started to glow white. A circle of clean white stone appeared to radiate around the ward stone, and started to grow.

"Fergus what is happening to the floor near the stone?"

"Oh good. I was hoping that would happen." Fergus said. "The Stone of Desire has absorbed a lot of magic tonight, and is releasing it to grant wishes."

"What? Is it not the Philosopher's Stone?"

"Well that is one of its names but originally it was called the Stone of Desire as it granted what you desired. Most avaricious people prided themselves to be Philosophical about their greed when all they wanted was gold and a long life. But the stone was only limited by your imagination."

Hermione looked at Luna as they shared the thought of how much trouble had come from the greed of a few.

"Dumbledore was a damn fool for bringing something that powerful into the school. It was far too dangerous to be touched by hand. Like touching pure magic or molten rock, and yet you, Harry, you touched the stone without harm, and threw the Stone of Desire into the Mirror of Desire."

Harry nodded wondering what he had done wrong.

"So what were you thinking?"

"Well I wanted to save Hermione, and stop Voldemort getting the stone, and coming back to life." Harry said. "I suppose I got my wish and desire fulfilled."

"Yes, that and bit more. The boiling burning lava pool was a nice Hell Fire touch if I do say so myself."

"Burning in Hell was where my aunt and uncle always said I would be going to for being a freak." Harry said.

"And who went there?"

"The _F__reaking_ dark lords?"

"Exactly Harry and what did you choose?"

"Hermione!"

"Good and?"

"Our family, our son?"

"And?"

"Love?"

"Exactly Harry, it is our choices that make us who we are, and you chose love. Just as your mother chose love. The most powerful form of magic."

"Oh."

"The stone had absorbed that power of love from your mother's sacrifice Harry, when it was in your hand, and you threw it into the mirror. Your mother's love has saved everyone again, and that love protected it so it could absorb all of the magical power of Dumbledore, Snape, Quirrellmort and the Mirror of Erised."

"The second time you touched it, it was the combination of your mother's love, and your love for Hermione that had grown with the hope of family now that the dark lords are gone, and that love calmed the stone to stop it from exploding."

"Now the stone is safely releasing all that excess magic it has absorbed otherwise the magical back lash could destroy the fabric of the time space magical continuum, and even completely erase this dimension." Fergus said. "The ward stone is fully recharged and the excess magic has boiled over to wake up the castle."

"Waking the castle?" Hermione asked. "Hogwarts a History said that the castle is sentient!"

"Yes Hermione, the castle is sentient but has been asleep for over one hundred years."

"A hundred years? Just like the fairy tale?"

"Yes Hermione and some fairy tales come true. The castle has never had this much magic available to her, and she wishes to purge herself of the Acheronian stain of the dark lord Dumbledore. The stone is granting that by washing her new again. By morning the castle will back to her original pristine white glow."

"But the stone contains the essence of Dumbledore, Quirrellmort and Severus?" Harry asked while Neville pulled a face that said 'Eww'.

"No, not really. We saw their wraiths being extracted for further processing and or punishment. So the stone only has their pure untainted magical power."

"Oh."

The glowing wave of magic pushed the ring of white stone to reach and wash over the diadem, the old black diary, the gold cup, and the gold locket with a green jewel 'S' on the front, that Hermione had dropped on the floor when she went to help Harry. One by one there was a fizzle pop, and the ancient gold cup was new again along with the gold locket complete with their original charms and runes. While the old black diary became a nice brand new shiny black ordinary diary.

Harry saw and felt what happened and carefully laid the unconscious old house-elf on the stone floor, as did Hermione with her unconscious young house-elf. Harry placed the wands, and everything else that he had caught on the stone floor. Particularly all the items that had come from Dumbledore with the two gold rings. The ancient gold ring with a large triangular black stone and the family ring with the letter 'P' on it. The next wave of glowing magic washed over them and with a fizzle pop, everything became new again complete with its original charms and runes.

The two house-elves were healed, and grew twelve inches in their new spotless white robes with the crests of the Houses of Potter and Black. They opened their eyes and wondered where they were.

While Hermione and Luna could feel the temptation to place the Diadem on their head but that was swamped by their desire to hold Harry and Neville. The gold cup was interesting but the gold locket with a green jewel 'S' on the front was a bit much. You would need to have the fashion style of a pink toad to wear that much Bling.

The next wave of glowing magic reached the hat, and with a flash the old hat was new again with a black leather covering and a pure white Acromantula silk inner lining.

"Oh that feels so good." Fergus cheered in a deeper younger voice, and started to do a soft shoe shuffle with two sides of his leather brim dancing around the chamber as he sung.

"_...I'd take two feet_

_Two tiny feet_

_Hey look! That's neat!_

_It's coming true_

_I finally get to dance again_

_Wahoo!..." AVPM_

Fawkes was next as the wave of magic washed over his talons, and he turned in a flash from a red slave phoenix bound to Dumbledore, to a beautiful white Aurora Royal Phoenix. Free of the bindings of that old goat, and sang a song of joy as he danced around with the hat.

"_...To dance again_

_I've been waiting all these years_

_To dance again_

_Now, at once, a chance appears_

_To hear that beat, so on your feet_

_It's time to dance again!" AVPM_

Harry thought about what he really as he stood up, and lifted Hermione to her feet. He looked into those honey eyes. "Will you be mine?" He whispered.

Hermione answered with a kiss. A searing love filled kiss based on every passionate kiss she had seen or read about in all of her books, as she ran her hands through his messy hair as Harry's arms slipped down around her waist so he could hold her tight. The kiss deepened as the glowing wave of magic washed over their feet and in a flash Harry grew to 6 foot 2, handsome and all healed in mind and body. While Hermione grew to 6 foot, trim, terrific and absolutely gorgeous, perfect in every way, as all the knowledge of Hogwarts, healing, the Wizengamot and magic was poured into their minds.

The ancient gold ring with a large triangular black stone and the gold family ring with the letter 'P' on it jumped onto Harry's finger, and started to whisper to Harry of many things, of clean shoes-and dragons-and slithering serpents. Of books-and kings. And why the Black Lake is not frozen in February. And whether Basilisks have wings.

Luna followed suit, she thought about the vision of a swashbuckling Neville that she had seen and it was what she really wanted. She stood up and lifted Neville to his feet. Looking into those blue eyes. "Can I keep you?" She whispered.

Neville answered with a kiss. It was clumsy at first but Luna was able to turn it into a searing love filled kiss she had been practicing in front of the mirror. She deepened the kiss as the glowing wave of magic washed over their feet. Luna grew up to a perfectly petite 5 foot 2, eyes of silver while Neville grew up to a handsome 6 foot 3 with a lopsided grin and lifted her off her feet, as they were lost in that kiss, and all the knowledge of Hogwarts, healing, magical creatures, Herbology and Magic was poured into their minds.

"_...It's lovely swaying, and the music's playing_

_Come on, let's dance again!"_

Fergus: _(Spoken) "Everybody now!" _

Harry, Hermione, Neville and Luna link arms and form the Awesome Foursome chorus line with two house-elves, while Luna carefully held Fawkes' wing tip as he put his other wing around the hat.

Fergus: _"I take my foot!"_

The Awesome Foursome plus house-elves: _((Spoken) "You take your foot.")_

Fergus: _"My little foot!"_

The Awesome Foursome plus house-elves:_ "(Take that little foot!)"...AVPM adapted_

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

When they had finished their dance of celebration, they gathered all the things that they had brought, leaving the Philosopher's stone to discharge itself into the black diamond ward stone. With a group hug, Fawkes flamed them to the Founder's Quarters suite.

The ward chamber had been washed clean and the stone floor, walls and ceiling were a new glowing white as the waves of magic continued to erupt from the black diamond ward stone, and went on to purged, healed and renew the castle.

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

"So Harry, what did you wish for?" Fergus asked after they had finally settled down on soft padded scarlet and gold leather lounges in the living room of the Gryffindor suite in the Founder's Quarters.

Harry looked into Hermione's eyes. "A family of mine own that I saw in the mirror."

Hermione just kissed Harry again.

"I am so glad that you used your brilliant mind to work out the logic puzzle of the Philosopher's Stone Quest, and came back for me Hermione."

"I am happy too, Harry, because together we saw our future family in that mirror."

"Yes, our family. Dumbledore told me how the mirror worked. It showed our deepest desires. The first time I saw it, it showed my parents and the family I had lost. I thought it would show them again until I saw you standing behind me in the mirror. I so desperately wanted you to be there with me, but I didn't want to put you in danger."

Hermione chuckled. "Danger is my middle name. The other children at school used to tease me with _Hermione Danger Granger_. So you better get use to it."

"I'll try, but danger always seems to find me."

"And so will I!" Hermione confirmed with a gentle poke. "I will always be there to save you! You complete me!"

"You complete me, Hermione!" Harry hugged Hermione. "I don't knows what could have happened if you had not come to save me."

Fergus continued the thought as Harry and Hermione shared their moment. "Alone Harry, you might have survived, but the Head-monster would have just swept everything under a rug and never been exposed. Free to plan an even worse fate / educational challenge for you next year."

"Like having the dark lord release a mythical beast to terrorize the school while Dumbledore played Nero, and fiddled with his thumbs." Luna suggested as she loved mythical beasts and they don't come much bigger than the one she saw in her vision of a possible future.

"Oh so you know about Blinky and the Chamber of Secrets?" Fergus asked.

"Is that her name?" Luna asked. "She is beautiful!"

"Blinky?" Asked Neville.

"Hogwarts a History has recorded that Salazar Slytherin had made a hidden Chamber of Secrets that contained a mythical monster." Hermione said.

"Yes that Blinky. It is all true." Fergus said. "Blinky is a Basilisk, and she has been trapped in the Chamber of Secrets for fifty years by Tom Riddle. Hogwarts needs you to free her so she can do her duty to protect the school. There is an Acromantula colony that is invading and taking over the Forbidden Forest and we need her to deal with them."

Somehow Harry didn't want to know what a Basilisk or Acromantulas were but he knew he would find out soon. But he knew he had nothing to fear with his Hermione by his side.

"Not a problem Fergus. We will deal with that tomorrow."

"Thank you Harry." Fergus said. "Now Luna, what did you wish for?"

"I wished for a family too. My mother passed away last year in an accident, and my father can't move on to a new love as I am in the image of my mother. Now I have my own family with Neville, and my father can move on to some happiness." Luna said as Neville hugged her again.

"Neville?"

"I wished for the knowledge to heal my parents, and I got that and a family of mine own."

Fergus knew what had happened to Neville's parents and did not press for details as that was Neville's story to tell.

"Hermione?"

"I wished for the family I saw in the mirror and the knowledge to heal my mother so she can have more children."

"Oh?"

"My mother said it was a difficult birth, and she could not have any more children, and I really wanted a little sister."

"Really?" Luna said, thinking out aloud. "I have always wanted to be a little sister. Could I be your little sister?"

Hermione could not say no to those big silver eyes, and just swept Luna up in a hug. As the house-elves came to Harry.

"Master Harry, my name is Kreacher of the house Black."

"My name is Dobby of the house Potter. How may we serve you?"

"Just rest for now as you have been through a difficult ordeal."

"Thank you master."

"Please call me Harry."

"So Fergus, how old are we now?" Neville asked while Luna and Hermione finished their sisterhood moment hug.

The clothing that the children had been wearing had not changed, as it was not touching the floor as the rags on the house-elves were, and now had to fit a taller body. As Neville had been a little chubby, and Harry had been wearing some of Dudley's second hand cast offs, they now appeared to be wearing Knickerbockers under their short first year robes. Though Neville's Knickerbockers were baby blue with the cute little unicorns running around them. But the new slim, taller, gorgeous Hermione and Luna had filled out their baggy short first year robes, and turned them in to hot miniskirts, showing off their beautiful long legs in a school uniform that would have not looked out of place at St Trinian's.

"I would say at least 18." Fergus guessed. "The age charm would confirm your age."

Hermione cast the age charm on each of them, and it showed that they were now all of age in their eighteenth year.

"Excellent." Hermione said extremely pleased. "Adults in both worlds."

"Cool." Said Luna as she looked down her not so flat chest. "My Crumple-Horned Snorkacks have blossomed nicely."

Neville nodded in agreement as he, Harry and Hermione's faces turned red as they tried not to giggle.

"Well at least our physical bodies have caught up with our mental age. As an only child, my childhood ended when I could read my Encyclopaedia Britannica that I got for my third birthday for some light reading before bed. My parents have always treated me as a little adult as we discussed world peace during dinner." Hermione said as she admired her gorgeous long legs and nice chest while Harry fell in love with her gorgeous honey coloured eyes and smile. Again.

"You're lucky. When I was three, my Gran taught me how to play bridge for my birthday as she needed a partner to play with for her weekly meetings at the old Dragon's guild." Neville shuddered at the memory. "The aftershave they had on could strip paint from a wall."

"You're lucky. When I was two years and eleven months old, my guardians made me cook and clean for Dudley's third birthday party, and every day since." Harry said as Hermione came to hug him to death as Luna and Neville joined the group hug.

"You're lucky..." Luna started to say but was cut off by the sorting hat.

"Ahem, ahem!" Fergus coughed to get their attention as Luna mouthed the words _'Oh poo!'__._ "With all that knowledge you have gain. You would be ready for your OWLs, NEWTs and Masters in any subject you wished."

Hermione's and Luna's eyes lit up with the possibilities of what they could do with that knowledge while Harry and Neville were caught up in the excitement of all the examinations they could ace without having to study. They were still boys after all.

"You may have also noticed that Hogwarts is in need of some new professors for DADA and Potions plus a new headmaster or even a headmistress. To have a History of Magic professor that is actually breathing would be a big bonus, and we could throw in the child care for free. So you will not miss out on your Hogwarts experience."

"We will think about it."

"Good. Fawkes, could you please return me to the Headmaster office, we have much to tell the other portraits and we are going to party like it is 1999. Sweet dreams young ones, for tomorrow will be a brand new day!" Fergus said as he started to sing. _"To dance again..."_

"Er Fergus?" Neville asked before Fawkes could move. "Luna as not been sorted."

"Yes my little sister needs the whole Hogwarts experience." Hermione said while Luna hit him with the cutest puppy-dog eyes.

"Oh of course you are right." Fergus said. "I just assumed that Luna had already chosen. And you know what they say when you assume."

"What?" Asked Luna.

"Well I er. Neville will tell you when you are older." Fergus side stepped as he saw Luna's cheeky smirk. It reminded him. "Luna, you really are in the image of your mother. I just remembered sorting your beautiful brilliant mother into those Ravenclaw robes. In fact I remember sorting both of your beautiful brilliant grandmothers into Ravenclaw, as well as sorting all four of your beautiful brilliant great grandmothers into Ravenclaw. So Luna my dear, where would you wish to be sorted?"

"As you would recommend my dear hat, thank you."

Luna stood up as Fawkes lifted up Fergus and placed him on her head. Fergus spoke his thinking out loud.

"Lucky for you Luna, if I sort you now, you will have started in the same year as young Neville." Fergus said as he looked into her mind.

"A brilliant mind just like your mother. You would have done very well in Ravenclaw. And the cunning you showed to hide from the dark lords until the right moment shows a dandy Slytherin. Your loyalty to Neville and bravery to follow show an excellent Hufflepuff and Gryffindor. So you would do brilliantly in any house. So which would you chose?"

Luna gave the hat a quizzical look as it was a no brainer. "I choose Love!" She cried as the trim on her robes change to a scarlet and gold trim as she ran to swan dive into Neville's arms.

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

Thank you for reading.


	8. A Brand New Day

Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!

Chapter 8 A Brand New Day.

I don't own the Harry Potter verse. Just playing.

31/08/14

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

Chapter 8 A Brand New Day.

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

Indeed it was a brand new day. The Philosopher's Stone had finished washing, purging, healing and renewing the castle, and she was glowing in all of her original pristine magical sentient glory, filled with the hum of the power of the magic of love. Only those who were up and about were directly affected by the healing. That included the house-elves working in the castle, the ghosts and oddly enough Mr. Argus Filch, the squib caretaker of Hogwarts, who for the first time in his life cast a lot of accidental magic when he tripped over Mrs. Norris, his ever present cat. He almost had a heart attack.

The castle's house-elves were now taller and more fit with clean white Hogwarts robes so the students would notice them, and learn the power of the magical words; please, thank you and respect.

Everyone woke up to a new white pristine sentient castle that was spotless and seemed to glow with a warmth that filled the air with that tingly feeling of magic. As they made their way to the Great Hall for breakfast. The doom and gloom of yesterday was gone and there was this positive happy feeling of hope and love in the air.

The Headmaster, along with professors Snape and Quirrell were conspicuous by their absence at breakfast. But no one seemed to care too much as the rumours of what could have happened during the night started to spread, and the stories grew ever more twisted and exciting.

But nothing could dampen their happy spirits, particularly with Ronald Bilius Weasley not being present to churn their stomach with his extraordinary display of gluttony. And happy children are playful children. It maybe against the Laws of Magic to conjure up food much to Ronald's disappointment, but nothing could stop them from conjuring up mud pies, coloured chalk dust bombs and paintballs. The twins would deny all responsibility but somehow Oliver Wood and Marcus Flint were hit with mud pies, and immediately blamed each other. So with the honour of Gryffindor and Slytherin at stake, a magical mud pie food fight very quickly erupted in the Great Hall and everyone joined in. Even the Professors.

They quickly found that the Slytherin witches had a lot of pent up anger towards certain Slytherin wizards, and very good aim, using their wands to guide their mud pies, chalk bombs and paintballs, on to their target's most vulnerable compromising spots. The remaining Slytherin wizards quickly and cunningly joined the right side, to support their witches against the bullies. Draco was soon covered in mud, chalk and paint that would never wash out of his hair, while he discovered that his boys Vincent and Greg threw like girls when he ordered them to fight back, as he was not going to lower himself to touch anything that had the word mud in it. Unfortunately the paint that covered Draco was not water based and would need a lot of Turpentine to wash it out. It was payback by the Slytherin witches for all the nasty things Draco and the bullies had done.

Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff who were very creatively using their house colours for their mud pies, chalk dust bombs and paintballs, and showed their displeasure towards Gryffindor and Slytherin for all their stupid rivalry and hatred that had spoilt their Hogwarts experience. While Gryffindor bravely and or foolishly took on all comers.

Only the fifth year Gryffindor prefect Percy Weatherby, a stickler for rules and often pompous due to his love of authority, was horrified at such an immature display of childishness and made his objections loudly known to everyone that he would be reporting this shameful behaviour to the Headmaster. This action of course led him to be the center of attention, and Penelope Clearwater the Ravenclaw prefect hit him with a particularly gooey sloppy blue and bronze mud pie that covered his polished silver prefect 'P', his face and stuck to his hair. Everyone followed suit and he was quickly buried under a mound of mud, chalk and paint.

After he had dug himself out, Weatherby stormed off to his Gryffindor dorm, leaving a trail of muddy footprints, only to be caught and hexed by the former squib caretaker Mr. Argus Filch who cheerfully gave him a detention. As he was a prefect who had showed disrespect by leaving a trail of muddy footprints, he was made an example of, and was punished by a week in the dungeon hanging by his wrists from the ceiling using Mr. Filch's well oiled chains. Just like the good old days.

They were having so much fun throwing all the mud pies, coloured chalk dust bombs and paintballs that they did not realize how exhausted they soon became. There was a lull as they caught their breath and grinned each other, friend and former foe alike. As it had been a very liberating rejuvenating magnanimous reconciliatory harmonious experience to discover that they were not so different to each other, and it was Dumbledore and Snape who had allowed the evil hatred of a few greedy bigoted bullies to poisoned the ambiance of the school that had kept them apart and stopped them from becoming friends.

Finally together, everyone just seemed to have one last throw in them with one last mud pie or coloured chalk dust bomb or paintball, and they did not want to waste it. As one they chose the most suitable target. Well actually there were two of them being twins and all. With a deafening cheer, they launched the final assault and in an instant the twins were buried under the biggest pile of mud, chalk and paint. The redhead twins had never felt so loved as everyone else high-fived each other and cheered again.

Hagrid won the prize for throwing the largest fighting rock cake, and for causing the most damage. Flitwick was able to charm his mud pies to attack in formation with a Wingardium Leviosa, McGonagall transfigured her mud pies into little pigs which ran among the students, while She-with-no-first-name Tonks proved to be the hardest witch to hit, and went through the whole fight with clean robes.

It was the most fun they had ever had at Hogwarts, and they even cleaned up after themselves to show respect to the house-elves. And it was made so easy as the new glowing walls of the castle were non stick and self cleaning. Then they went to enjoy their day together.

It was grand to be magical today at Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft And Wizardry.

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

Gryffindor and Slytherin buried the hatchet that day, along with the rivalry and hatred until the next Quidditch match or mud pie food fight. Whichever happened first.

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

Neville, Luna, Harry and Hermione were served breakfast by Kreacher and Dobby in the Founder's quarters, and had missed all the childishness in the Great Hall. Fawkes flamed them directly to the Janus Thickey Ward (a.k.a. Ward 49), of St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries for Neville to heal his parents, Frank and Alice Longbottom of the curse inflicted on them by convicted Death Eater Bellatrix Lestrange. It only took Neville ten minutes to heal his parents, and he taught the counter spell to the head healer who was able to heal another six victims of Bellatrix.

Neville's Gran rushed from the Longbottom Manor when the healers called her, and was so overjoyed to have Frank and Alice back that she did not notice that Neville had grown two feet, aged seven years and was the younger image of his father. But she did notice he had a girlfriend holding his hand, and cheerfully welcomed Luna into the family.

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

After breakfast and cleaning the hallway, Percy finally went to find out what could have possibly kept Ronald from coming to feed. He stormed into the first year boy's dorm to find the curtains around Ronald's bed still closed. He reached out to tried and open them but found they had been charmed shut. He took out his wand and with a wave removed the locking and silencing charms to open the curtains. He screamed as he saw the sight of an unconscious old fat balding man laying on top of Ronald, right where Dumbledore had wanted the rat placed. He waved his wand to push the man off his brother, and saw Ronald's wild wide open eyes of someone who had lost his mind. Percy fell to the floor and cried. Mother would never forgive him for not looking after her little Ronniekins. But always the bureaucrat, he cried for the required three minutes, then he dusted off his robes and filed his report in triplicate to father with his owl Hermes.

Professor McGonagall rushed into the dorm and recognized the unconscious old fat balding man as Peter Pettigrew. She immediately sent a Patronus message to Madam Bones who came straight away. Without the interference of a missing headmaster, missing Potion master, the late Minister of Magic, along with his late ugly toady undersecretary and the late Lucius Malfoy, Sirius Black was a free wizard before dinner.

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

Arthur Weasleys was surprised and very concerned to receive Percy's report. It confirmed that the Weasley family clock had not malfunctioned, and that Ronald was really in the hospital after his hand on the clock had fluctuated between School, Lost, Prison, and Mortal Peril all night. He gathered Molly and Ginny to come to Hogwarts. Molly was beside herself as her little ickle Ronniekins had been injured and mumbled something about Dumbledore, while Ginny was excited that she would meet the boy-who-lived. Both reactions worried Arthur as they made their way to the hospital wing. Percy was standing by Ronald's bed as Molly took one look at Ronald, and demanded to see Dumbledore that instant. While Ginny ignored her brother, and looked for his best mate, the boy-who-lived.

When Madam Pomfrey told Molly that Dumbledore was away, she shrieked louder until Arthur stunned her. Madam Pomfrey advised Arthur that there was nothing she could do for Ronald or Molly and they need to go to St Mungo's for checking and treatment. Arthur thought that was a very good idea, and used the floo to take Ronald, Molly, Ginny and Percy directly to St Mungo's to be checked.

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

After dinner there was a meeting in the former Headmaster office to discuss what had happened and what to do next. The Awesome Foursome were there with Sirius Black, Augusta, Frank and Alice Longbottom, Xeno Lovegood, Dan and Emma Granger, Amelia Bones, Arthur Weasley and the Hogwarts professors along with representatives from Gringotts. They were brought up to date by Fergus the sorting Hat, and watched the recordings of the events of the last year at the school with Dumbledore's part in them highlighted.

They put both of Dumbledore's portraits together side by side. As neither had been charmed to keep the old goats secrets, and as he was no longer Headmaster, they could speak freely. The portraits were trying to out do each other to show how Machiavellian manipulative and brilliant Dumbledore had been, and filled in and explained a lot of details of the old fool's plans and schemes for the Greater Good of the whole Magical World. They were shocked how callus and manipulative the Headmaster had been to put the school in danger and risk the lives of all the students for his social experiments.

Arthur reported what he had found at St Mungo's. It was a sad story of compulsions and potions that had all the hallmark of Dumbledore's interference in his family going back to his time at Hogwarts and that was confirmed by the portraits. Percy, Ginny and himself will be okay after treatment with flushing potions, but the potions and compulsions used on Molly and Ronald had done too much damage. They would need to stay as the only patients in the Janus Thickey Ward for Unliftable jinxes, hexes, and incorrectly applied charms. The head healer was surprised that Dumbledore had done more damage to his most faithful die hard supporters than Bellatrix Lestrange.

Everyone was surprised of Severus Snape actions, and it was agreed to posthumously award him a statue of Honor to go in the Forbidden third floor corridor with the epitaph of; '_Severus Snape, Slytherin. __Defeated __Two Dark Lords with one blow.__'_ Plus a Special Services to the School, award.

The award was mounted in the trophy room next to an award for Special Services to the School for Harry, Hermione, Neville and Luna. Tom Riddle's award was removed and Hagrid's expulsion was revoked, so he went to get a new wand to finish his Owls and Newts.

While the Ministry posthumously awarded Severus Snape the Order of Merlin first class, twice after they had rescinded the awards given to Dumbledore and Pettigrew. The Ministry also planned to award the Order of Merlin first class to Harry, Hermione, Neville and Luna at a Grand Ministry Ball during the summer. (No hints to who Harry asked to the ball, but Neville asked Luna and she wore the diadem.)

They prepared a suitable true story for Xeno to publish in the Quibbler and Daily Prophet to describe what a senile criminally insane Dumbledore had done to endanger the school and the magical world. They highlighted the parts Harry, Hermione, Neville and Luna had played to save the school with a positive view of Severus Snape sacrifice to vanquish the world of two dark lords.

On discovering Harry's the financial situation at Gringotts, and that as Lord Slytherin; Harry was now head of house of a number of former Death Eater and Pure-blood supremacist bigoted families. In a show of unity and friendship, Harry asked Lord Ragnok if he would be a proxy for a Wizengamot seat and Ragnok chose the seat of the Noble House of Fudge. While Sirius tried to claim the Wizengamot seats of Malfoy and Umbridge. But it was decided that Madam Longbottom would be more effective with the seat for Umbridge and they gave the Malfoy Wizengamot seat to Arthur Weasley as Narcissa and Draco were returned to the House of Black. Sirius had to make do with the consolation prize of proxy for the House of Dumbledore.

It was agreed that the Awesome Foursome were to have a long holiday with their parents for the summer, and with all the knowledge and information given to them from Hogwarts by the Philosopher's Stone. They were to use a Portkey when needed to go to the Wizarding Examinations Authority where Madam Griselda Marchbanks has arranged for them to sit for their Owls, NEWTs and one or two or three masters examinations that they will need before they start teaching in September. Harry and Hermione decided that they would sit for the Transfiguration, Alchemy and Potions masters while Neville and Luna decided that they would sit for the Potions, Herbology and Magical Creatures masters. They all would sit for all 16 Owls and 20 NEWTs including classes that had not been taught at Hogwarts for centuries.

Hermione only agreed to the arrangement when they decided to allow her to sit for more master examinations during the following year. Harry just knew that he would be sitting for the same examinations. The Mastery that Harry really wanted to sit for was the Time Mastery used to manufacture time turners and other forms of time travel but the Time Mastery Test were only held on the destroyed planet of Gallifrey. Fortunately they recently discovered that the planet Gallifrey had not been destroyed only misplaced and lost, which is almost as bad. But they still had to build their own TARDIS to get there if they could not borrow one over the Christmas Special.

That left one last Mastery to complete. The Master of Death. But Hogwarts was not able to give any information on that Mastery. Nor was Hermione able to find any reference to it in the Hogwarts' Library or in the Headmaster's secret stash, save for a book of children's stories. It seemed the only place that had any information was the last place they wanted to go to. Not for a very long time.

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

Lord Ragnok had another surprise for Harry and Hermione. Hidden deep in Dumbledore's old vault which Harry now owns, the Goblins had found a lot of things Dumbledore had stolen from Harry's family vaults. Including the portraits of his parents James and Lily. After the meeting, Fergus took Harry and Hermione with Neville and Luna to the Room of Requirements with the portraits. Harry with the elder wand was able to remove the curses Dumbledore had placed on the portraits and they woke up surprised to see their Harry all grown up. As Fergus had hoped, there was so much magic within the Room of Requirements that James and Lily were able to leave their painting as fully corporeal avatars, able to touch and hug and kiss their son and Harry finally felt the love of his mother for him.

The amazing room would prove to be a great blessing for the Awesome Foursome as in later years Harry and Hermione with Neville and Luna were able to bring their children to meet their grandparents as Luna would bring a portrait of her mother. They shared that blessing with others like Susan Bones and her aunty as they brought their family portraits to the room to become corporeal avatars, and with the magic of the room, they could spend time together anywhere in the world. Hermione loved it when the room took them to Bondi Beach so she, Luna and Susan could work on their tan during the Scottish winter, and the Scottish summer for that matter. Harry loved going to Disneyland and a new placed called The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (Universal Studios Hollywood).

It was an added bonus for Lily and Celeste to provide 24/7 child minding in the magical Room of Requirement for their grandchildren while James couldn't wait to teach them how to fly on a broom and play Quidditch.

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

Dan and Emma waited until they reached home with Hermione and Harry before they had their long discussion of what had happened to their daughter and their new son / son-in-law. They had accepted that Hermione was well mature for her age but they did not wish to be grandparents too soon. Hermione was able to use her knowledge to heal her mother so she could have more children, and she was soon with child. (twins)

Dan and Harry agreed for the sake of their sanity to only have one Granger woman with child at a time.

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

Professor McGonagall was appointed Headmistress of Hogwarts, so the Awesome Foursome could live a little and enjoy the experience of life together. She quickly discovered that the ghost of Dumbledore had not complete left Hogwarts as he had signed binding magical contracts for the next DADA professor and for a revamped Tri-Wizard Tournament with Beauxbatons and Durmstrang to take place after the World Quidditch Cup.

They had plenty of time to sort out the Tri-Wizard Tournament but the new DADA professor, the flamboyant Gilderoy Lockhart, was a narcissistic wizarding celebrity. Who had very outlandishly selected all of his own published works for his course text books, and the cost was prohibitive for most families. Minerva sent copies of the books to Harry and Hermione and Hermione quickly worked out that the new professor was a fraudulent author and knowing Dumbledore, were not surprised why the old fool had selected him. But the contract was binding and they could not get rid of him without being sued.

Fortunately Harry and Hermione with Neville and Luna and their parents came across the charlatan at a book signing at Flourish & Blotts. Lockhart had spotted Harry and drew the attention of all his admiring witches to Harry. So he could manipulate the young man to have his photo taken with him. He was sure a picture of both of them would get him on the front page of the Daily Prophet. But the witches took one look at the gorgeous handsome young gentleman that Harry had grown into, and completely forgot all about Lockhart.

Not to be foiled Lockhart went to plan 'C' and announced himself as the new DADA professor of Hogwarts and challenged Harry to a demonstration wizard duel. Right there in the crowded store.

Lockhart had already worked out the title of his next book. 'Gilderoy Lockhart Vanquisher of the Boy-who-lived'. Lockhart would not take no for an answer, and drew his wand to fire his first curse at Harry. Even before he hadn't even taken his wand out. The curse went wide and missed Harry by a mile but in a store full of people, it would have to hit someone. And that someone was Hermione's father Dan Granger. The curse removed all the bones from Dan's right arm. Dan was in pain as Hermione went to him while Harry moved to eliminate the threat. But before he could get anywhere near the fool, Emma Granger got to him first and with a beautiful right hook smashed Gilderoy's face breaking his nose and jaw, destroying his lecherous smile, and sending him flying over a stack of his books while another three stacks of his published works collapsed on top of him. Giving him a concussion as cage of freshly caught Cornish Pixies fell on top of him.

There was pandemonium as the cage broke open and the Cornish pixies shot in every direction like rockets, all over the store full of screaming witches. Knocking over bookshelves and throwing books everywhere. They found and released the handsome green cover books, emblazoned with the golden title The Monster Book of Monsters. All these monster books charged through the fleeing customers scuttling sideways like some weird crabs as they sort out dark spaces to hide in.

The unconscious Lockhart almost made good his escape as six pixies carried him away by his ears and hair. But Hermione immobilized the six pixies with a clever Freezing Charm. Causing them to drop the professor and Harry caught him on the first bounce with an _Aresto momentum! _While Luna frown, stamped her foot, and crossly waved her finger as she made a sad disenthralled tizz sound to show how disappointed she was with the bad behaviour of the pixies and monster books. Ashamed the pixies quietly left the store and flew over to Hyde Park while the Monster book of Monsters scuttled back into their boxes to the amazement of the store assistants. Who had been fighting a losing battle with the books since Hagrid put them on his book list.

The photographer from the Daily Prophet had been clicking madly all through the bedlam and was in two minds which picture went on the front page the next day. A picture of Gilderoy Lockhart being knocked for six by the fiery witch or Luna taming the savage beasts. Luna won with the caption; Beauty and the Beasts. While Gilderoy and Emma were on page 3. (They never bothered to ask if Emma was a witch and would never believe that a muggle could hit that hard.)

They rushed Dan to the Hogwarts hospital wing where he spent a painful two days regrowing the missing bones in his arm. Lucky for Dan there was more than enough magic in the air for the potions to work. Otherwise Dan would have lost his arm and a dentist needed both hands.

Gilderoy Lockhart was arrested and charged for attacking Harry Potter and causing grievous bodily harm to Dan Granger. But with the sure possibility of going to Azkaban for injuring a muggle, his state of mind collapsed in a grand display of his best performance ever, and he was sent to St Mungo's Janus Thickey Ward for Unliftable jinxes, hexes, and incorrectly applied charms. Where he smiled at all the witch healers and was admired and adored by Molly, plus he could play Wizard Chess with Ronald all day and night.

It was Minerva who made the observation of how far the Magical World had come for if Dan had been injured only two months ago while Dumbledore was in power, Gilderoy would have walked free and Dan would have lost his arm, been obliviated and his memory modified to show that he had lost the arm in a car accident before being dumped back into the muggle world. In fact the last Pure-blood to be sent to Azkaban for injuring a muggle was Percival Dumbledore, the father of Albus, Aberforth and Ariana Dumbledore, who died in Azkaban after he took vengeance on some muggle boys who assaulted his daughter.

With Gilderoy Lockhart no longer available, Minerva gave the position of DADA professor to Remus Lupin, who quickly proved to be a popular teacher. Then by a stroke of serendipity, Madam Poppy Pomfrey used Helga Hufflepuff's gold cup to administer Remus' Wolfsbane potion before a full moon. Only for him not to change that night. After a full examination Remus was declared cured of his Lycanthropy.

Remus was overjoyed to be cured of the illness that had characterized him all his life, and shared that joy with an old friend, Aurora Sinistra the Hogwarts' Astronomy professor. They soon became a couple. As did their old friends Sirius Black, the new Magic for Fun professor and Emmeline Vance, the new History of Magic professor.

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

Harry and Hermione woke up late in each other's arms enjoying a Saturday morning sleep in, as they had enjoyed their first year of teaching together the subjects of Potions for Owls and NEWTs and Alchemy for NEWTs. Kreacher brought breakfast as Dobby and Winky were caring for Hermione's parents and the twins.

Neville taught Herbology for Owls while Professor Pomona Sprout taught Herbology for NEWTs, and Luna taught the Care of Magical Creatures for Owls. While Hagrid taught the NEWTs class for Seriously Misunderstood Large and Fire Breathing Magical Creatures from his Dragon Sanctuary deep in the Forbidden Forest.

Neville and Luna came to tell Harry and Hermione about a prophecy that they had fulfilled with the defeat of the dark lord. Luna had been sent an advance copy to review for the Quibbler of a new book by Rita Skeeter called; The Life and Lies of Albus the-darkest-dark-lord Dumbledore. A companion volume to her tell all best seller; Severus Snape: Scoundrel or Saint?

Rita had quoted from a diary of Dumbledore in which he had written the original prophecy, plus His improved Greater Good version, with all his notes and plans for Harry and Neville if they survived.

Harry thought back to where this story had begun and the one who came back to save him.

_**And the more important things;— **__**fun and**__** friendship and bravery and above all **__**Love. **__**– **__**Lady **__**Hermione **__**Jane**__** Potter PS.**_

Harry kissed his Hermione.

It dawned a glorious new day for a new happy magical world and a new story.

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

AN: Hopefully this new telling of different Philosopher's Stone Quest might encourage the muse others to write a better longer ending with Voldemort and Dumbledore trying to make a comeback with their Horcruxes and Harry defeating each one with the brilliant logic of his Hermione and the help of their loyal friends Neville and Luna.

Or you could just read _Souls Abound_ by the great Robst whom, you will be happy to hear, is writing again.

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

PS: One morning a few years later. The Awesome Foursome Professors were at breakfast in the Great Hall, when a strange looking black bat like creature appeared in front of Harry and Hermione as they sat with Neville and Luna at the staff table.

"That's a Sleekit Weetimorousbeastie!" Luna cried. "They're inter-dimensional travelers. Look he has a letter."

"It's address to you Harry." Hermione said and Harry went to untie the letter and open it.

A magical movie postcard fell out. It had a picture of a nice country landscape with a sign 'Welcome to Sunnydale.' and there, waving to them, was a wizard with a long nose, black greasy hair and a black billowing robe with a fiery redhead witch holding a cute baby wizard, standing on the left with a dark blonde witch holding a sweet little witch, standing on the right.

"It's from the Bat Wizard." Luna said. "Aren't they so cute?"

Harry turned the postcard over and read.

"Greetings from Sunnydale. Say hello to Willow and Tara with Harry Severus and Hermione Lily Prince. Wish you were here. Love Sev. PS: This world doesn't have any shrimp or Dumbledore."

"Awe isn't that nice. He went to a world without shrimp and Dumbledore." Luna said as she started to feed bacon to the Sleekit Weetimorousbeastie to fatten him up for his return inter-dimensional jump.

Hermione asked Winky to go and get the group photo of herself, Harry, Neville and Luna when they were awarded their masters in Potions with the outstanding grade. The four of them were smiling and waving in their billowing purple Potion-master's robes standing next to the statue of Severus Snape in the third floor corridor. Winky popped away.

A moment later she returned and gave Hermione the magical photo. She turned the photo over and wrote.

_'Hi Sev, Willow, Tara, and little Harry and Hermione. Glad to see you are making the most of your second chance and found some happiness. This is a photo of Harry, myself, Neville and Luna on our Potion-master's graduation night at Hogwarts. Harry and I teach Potions at Hogwarts. (Don't laugh!) The school has change a lot since that night and you would never recognize the castle. Stay in touch. Love to all. Lady Hermione Jane Potter. OOXX (hugs and kisses for little Harry and Hermione)'_

"Awe that's so sweet Hermione. Ralph is ready to go." Luna said, indicating the Sleekit Weetimorousbeastie that was snuggling into her arms.

"You're amazing with any magical creature Luna." Hermione said as she placed the photo into an envelope and carefully tied it to the creature's leg. "So this one is Ralph?"

"Yes, he looks like a Ralph and he loves the Hogwarts' bacon so he will be happy to come back."

"I think he loves your snuggles more." Neville laughed as he tried to get some attention from his beautiful wife as the little creature disappeared with the letter in a poof.

"Anyway it was nice to hear from Sev and those two witches were gorgeous. He still has a thing for beautiful redheads with green eyes." Harry said still a little surprised that Sev had named his children after Hermione and him. "Little Hermione is so cute and little Harry is in the image of his father with his greasy messy black hair."

"But he has Willow's green eyes so she must be his mother, and he has her cute button nose." Luna observed as Hermione looked closely at little Hermione's eyes.

"We should be thankful that he doesn't have his father's nose." Harry said. "Harry and Hermione Prince? It has a nice ring to it."

"Prince?" Asked Minerva as she came over to see the picture. "Prince was Severus' mother's maiden name. He used to call himself the Half Blood Prince and Lily would be the Muggleborn Princess."

She turned to show the picture to Filius. "Oh hasn't Severus done well for his second chance."

And Filius nodded in agreement.

"So will little Harry and Hermione Prince be coming to Hogwarts?" Neville asked.

"Well we will find out in ten years." Hermione said as she shared that look with Luna.

Harry and Neville saw that look; Harry could feel that it was time for their little James and Lily while Neville thought about a little Harfang and Aggie.

PPS: Hermione got to say or rather scream _"OH Harry!"_ a lot, particularly late at night after some bravery and a great deal of loving care.

_-Harry Potter and bravery and — oh Harry —be careful!-_

The End.

Thank you for reading.


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